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Following a Hungarian initiative and in the interests of honey producers, in the future it will be compulsory to indicate the place of origin and the exact percentage of honey in the EU on honey bottles, said Minister of Agriculture István Nagy in a statement.
The minister stated that Hungary had proposed an amendment to the honey directive in November 2019, concerning the tightening of origin marking.
An agreement on the Hungarian initiative has now been reached between the European Council and the European Parliament.
In line with Hungary’s objectives and in the interests of producers, it will be clear to consumers what proportion of honey from which country can be found in a given product, he pointed out. In the future, all countries of origin will have to be indicated in descending order on the labels of honey mixtures, with the exact percentages.
In addition, he indicated that further options for action would be available to national authorities. For instance, for packages of less than 30 grams, the name of the country of origin may be replaced by a two-letter ISO code.
István Nagy explained that the tightening of the rules will make it easier for consumers to find quality Hungarian honey. This will not only support Hungarian beekeepers but also the preservation of biodiversity.
On the other hand, mandatory origin marking with a precise percentage can effectively help to combat honey of uncertain origin and of dubious quality coming from outside the EU.
Via MTI, Featured image: Facebook/Országos Magyar Méhészeti Egyesület OMME