Honey Origin Labeling to Become Mandatory in the EU Following Hungarian Proposal

On Hungary’s initiative, EU agriculture ministers have agreed that in the future it will be compulsory to indicate the origin of honey and exact percentage of its origin on honey bottles, said Minister of Agriculture István Nagy in a statement on Tuesday.

The Minister pointed out that more than four years of work have come to an end with Monday’s decision, as Hungary was the first country to take the initiative to tighten the rules on origin labeling for honey mixtures in November 2019.

Thanks to the stricter standards, it will be clear to consumers which country of origin honey comes from and in what proportion it is found in a given product.

Furthermore, this will make it easier for consumers to find quality Hungarian honeys, which will not only support Hungarian beekeepers but also the conservation of biodiversity. The mandatory origin marking with the exact percentage can also effectively help to fight against honey of uncertain origin and of dubious quality coming from outside the EU, the Agriculture Minister noted.

István Nagy also indicated that the European Parliament would adopt its position on the proposal in the coming days. After this, negotiations with the Council could begin in order to ensure that the new regulation could enter into force as soon as possible.

Via MTI, Featured image: Facebook/Országos Magyar Méhészeti Egyesület OMME