In future, the country of origin must be clearly stated on honey packaging. Negotiators from the EU states and the European Parliament agreed on this on Wednesday night, according to information from the parliament and the EU states. Until now, honey mixtures only had to state whether it came from the EU or not.
It is also said that the proportion of honey from each country will have to be stated in the future. Before the rules can come into force, Parliament and EU states must formally approve them – but this is considered a formality.
EU states stressed that individual countries could decide that the obligation to indicate the percentage on the label applies only to the four largest proportions. There is also an exception for packaging weighing less than 30 grams. Here, the names of the countries of origin could also be abbreviated using a code.
There will also be new rules for juices and jams in the future. According to the information, juices may in future be labeled as “reduced sugar” if at least 30 percent of the naturally occurring sugar has been removed. However, no sweeteners may be used. In the future, at least 450 grams of fruit must be used for one kilogram of jam.