IT AMBIGUOUS LABELLING OF HONEY

    In the labelling of honey in our country there is a lot of ambiguity and consumers can be misled. This is due to the regulations governing labelling which are reflected in the Royal Decree Nº 473/2015 (Real Decreto). The Decree states that in the case of products with a mixture of honeys originating from more than one member State or from a third country then on the label it can indicate their origin in the following ways:
    "Mixture of honeys originating from the E.U.( European Union)"
    "Mixture of honeys not originating from the E.U."
    "Mixture of honeys originating and not originating from the E.U."
Who would read the last one? "Mixture of honeys originating and not originating from the E.U." It doesn't make clear where the product comes from and may also mislead the consumer e.g. Produced in Spain means made in Spain but bottled in Spain could mean that the honey came from outside the E.U. it could have been made in a country which doesn't comply with E.U. standards.
    The guidelines 2014/63/EU of the European Community give the Member States the liberty of adapting the norms, at state level, for what you can specify on the label  where the honey that we consume comes from. An example of this are countries like Poland and Italy where it is obligatory to detail the country of origin on the label.
    Concealing the origin of the country from the consumers could mean that they are consuming honeys imported from a country, outwith the European Community, where the security controls on food are much less rigorous. It has been proved that in the market you can find honey from countries in which the food regulations and security are more lax and are mixed with honey from the E.U. under the label of the Royal Decree 475/2015.
    China is a country that has introduced its honey into Spain and into the European Union and its legislation allows the use of phytosanitary products and antibiotics prohibited in the E.U. Now, in some cases, the importing of honey from this country has been forbidden for these two reasons.
The norms clearly benefit the importers but seriously harm the interests of the beekeepers of our country as well as those of the E.U., because they cannot differentiate their quality products from the imported ones. the consumers are also limited in freedom of selection.
    In buying honey from local beekeepers, from national producers or from countries that are members of the E.U., the consumer not only contributes to the beekeepers but also to the biodiversity and agriculture and this includes livestock.
    The revaluing of products that can compete in quality in the marketing of honey  worldwide benefits everyone and  we can help to maintain and improve the rural environment.

When you buy honey in a supermarket, do you look at the label?  As a consumer, if you have read the label, do you understand what is indicated with regards to the source or origin of the honey?

Ubicación: Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain