As of June 14, a brand new decree printed on Saturday at Official Journal imposes stricter guidelines on the labeling of honey mixtures in France. Any more, all pots should specify “all harvest nations, in descending order of weight”, with the precise share of every origin, with a margin of error of 5%. This measure extends an obligation already in place since 2022, however till now restricted to honey packaged on French territory.
This tightening is a part of the implementation of the so-called “breakfast” European directive, adopted in 2024, which goals to fight fraud on imported honey. An investigation of the European Commission had revealed that “out of 320 samples of imported honey, nearly half have been suspected of deviating from the foundations of theUE », notably by including sugar syrups to scale back the fee. The textual content additionally underlines that “74% of honey originating from Chine have been thought-about suspicious”, in addition to nearly all of these coming from Türkiye a you United Kingdom.
Strengthening transparency for shoppers
Till now, merchandise not packaged in France merely needed to point out whether or not their origin was European or not, with out additional clarification. The decree subsequently reinforces transparency for consumers. It additionally gives for a transitional interval: merchandise already “labelled or positioned in the marketplace earlier than June 14 might proceed to be offered till shares are exhausted”.
Past honey, this textual content additionally introduces the title “fruit juice with decreased sugar content material”, reserved for drinks whose pure sugars have been decreased by at the least 30% with out altering their dietary qualities. It additionally raises the minimal amount of fruit in jams, going from 350 to 450 grams per kilo, with sure exceptions reminiscent of currants or ardour fruit.
