EU: Almost 50% of honey imported from countries outside the community is questionable

Published 2023년 3월 24일

Tridge summary

A total of 320 honey samples from 20 countries were tested by the JRC as part of a coordinated action by 15 EU countries, Switzerland, and Norway. The test aimed to detect the presence of exogenous sugar syrup in honey, with 46% of the samples suspected of non-compliance with the EU Honey Directive. The majority of the questionable samples were from China, followed by Turkey and the UK, with the latter's honey having a 100% suspicion rate, potentially due to honey produced in other countries and re-exported through the UK.

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Original content

Within the coordinated action of 15 EU countries (including Bulgaria), plus Switzerland and Norway, sent 320 randomly selected consignments of honey originating from 20 exporting countries. The samples were examined by the JRC to detect the presence of exogenous sugar syrup in the honey. Of the 320 samples received by the competent authorities of the participating countries, 147 (46%) are suspected of non-compliance with the provisions of the EU Honey Directive 2001/110/EC, the European Commission announced. The level of suspicion was significantly higher compared to an earlier EU-wide coordinated control plan carried out in 2015-17, when only 14% of the samples analyzed did not meet the established reference criteria for assessing the authenticity of honey. The largest absolute number of questionable consignments originated from China (66 out of 89), although honey originating from Turkey (14 out of 15) had the highest relative proportion of questionable samples. Honey imported ...

Source: Agroplovdiv