26/10/2026
Interesting!!!!
Clearer origin labelling planned for honey sold in Britain
New European Union rules requiring much clearer country-of-origin information on honey labels came into force on 14 June 2026.
Previously, a jar containing honey from several countries could simply be described as a “blend of EU and non-EU honeys”. Under the new rules, the label must identify each country from which the honey was harvested, list the countries in descending order by weight and give the percentage contributed by each one.
Similar requirements are now planned for Great Britain. At present, honey sold in England, Scotland and Wales may still be labelled simply as a “blend of honeys from more than one country”, without identifying any of those countries.
However, the UK Government intends to align British honey regulations with the new EU rules through the proposed UK–EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement. Government guidance specifically states that blended honey will need to show its countries of origin, in descending order of contribution, together with the percentage supplied by each country.
Northern Ireland has already adopted the new requirements under the Windsor Framework. For Great Britain, the Government currently expects the new arrangements to take effect in mid-2027, although the precise date and any transitional provisions have yet to be confirmed.
The change should allow shoppers to distinguish genuine single-country honey from blends assembled from honey imported from several different parts of the world. It will also remove vague descriptions which provide consumers with very little useful information about where the honey was actually produced.
Greater transparency will not, by itself, eliminate honey adulteration or guarantee authenticity. Nevertheless, meaningful country-of-origin labelling should make supply chains more visible and help consumers make better-informed choices—including choosing honey produced by British beekeepers.
Packed in United Kingdom, using a blend of honeys from more than one country / blend of non-EU honeys