Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
Friday, 7th February 2025 at 18:22
Honey is produced in Europe at a high rate – only second to China, where more than 500,000 tonnes are produced each year. But the demand for it is higher. This is why honey is also imported into Europe from other countries with different regulations. Honey is sold in Europe which does not meet the requirements of European beekeepers. They have complained about this for many years and have called for more control from the authorities.
According to a report by the European Commission from 2023 on food, honey and royal jelly were two of the products which raised the greatest suspicions about possible fraud. In a 2021-2022 investigation by the European Commission into honey sold in Europe, almost half of the products examined (46%) did not meet the requirements.
According to OCU, a leading consumer organization in Spain, the European market contains honey products that contain added glucose syrups and fructose, as well other additives and colours, which adulterate and degrade the product. Sometimes the origin of a product is not specified.
Quality standards are evolving
Regulations in Spain require that any product packaged, including honey will have to indicate the country of its origin by 2020. The recent approval by cabinet of a Royal Decree modifying the quality standard for Honey has further tightened this requirement.
In order to make the most of this change, the percentage contribution of each origin country must be indicated in the main visual part of the label. It’s not enough to mention the countries of origin, but the percentage of each must be added.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture: “With the incorporation of these amendments to national legislation, it is the goal to protect and increase competitiveness of the Spanish honey and to strengthen and inform the national market, as well as to position products against imported honey.”
According to the OCU, the OCU, the change in the standard of honey quality is good for consumers because it contains measures that will improve the product when it reaches the Spanish marketplace. How? How? By ensuring that the honey is not stripped of its natural ingredients or substances that give it properties. The filtered honey is removed, for example. Honey that has had a large portion of pollen removed would be considered honey intended for industrial use, and could not be sold directly to consumers.
However, the OCU recommends that, in order to be sure of the origin of the honey consumed, “it is best to choose honeys with PDO or PGI (quality seals linked to a protected origin)”, such as PDO Miel de Málaga, PDO Miel de Granada, PDO Miel de La Alcarria, PDO Miel de Tenerife, PDO Miel de Villuercas-Ibores, or PGI Miel de Galicia.
