Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to prevent honey fraud to ensure consumer confidence in honey production.

The Government considers that it is essential all UK consumers have complete trust in the food they eat, and we recognise the importance of origin labelling for certain foods, including Honey. Food labelling should be accurate and not misleading in any way. In England all honey must comply with the Honey (England) Regulations 2015 which set out detailed specifications which honey must comply with in terms of its composition, labelling and quality criteria. Country of origin labelling is mandatory on all honey but special circumstances apply to blended honey where the composition may change depending on availability. Upon the UK’s Exit from the EU the Honey (England) Regulations 2015 were amended to remove EU centric labelling for blended honey. There is now an option to describe blended honey as a “blend of honeys from more than one country”. We continue to keep the rules under review to ensure they meet the needs of consumers and industry alike.

Local Authorities routinely continue to check and enforce honey rules throughout the UK. As honey is a product of animal origin it is also subject to additional mandatory checks at import.

Defra, the Food Standards Agency, Food Standards Scotland and the Government Chemist have been working together to understand the latest scientific evidence on honey testing to ensure all honey can be fairly and accurately tested for contents and origin.