Current honey-labelling regulations resemble fraud, a German MEP has claimed.
Markus Ferber of the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) made the statement as he welcomed the recent agreement for stricter laws regarding information about products such as honey, jam and fruit juices.
Referring to the European Union’s current regulations for honey from EU and non-EU countries, the Member of the European Parliament argued: “Such imprecise and misleading origin data on the labels are close to an attempt to defraud customers.”
A vast majority of MEPs backed a bill which would make slogans such as “from EU and non-EU sources” a legal offence. If the EU-27 can agree on the reform, all countries of origin must be identified on the packaging.
It is unclear when the proposed bylaw, which shall help to ban products that contain syrup, could come into effect.
Ferber warned: “The new law must not mean a bureaucratic nightmare for apiarists and anyone who produces jam.”
Social Democratic MEP Tiemo Wölken added: “Customers must be fully in charge regarding their shopping.”
Only 13 MEPs objected to the bill. The so-called breakfast directive found support among 522 MEPs while 65 MEPs abstained from participating in the vote at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
Germany is among the top 10 producers of honey in Europe. One 500-gramme jar of honey harvested in the Central European country currently costs around EUR 6.50 (GBP 5.58).
There is no established data on the number of apiarists in Germany. Experts estimate that up to 170,000 residents engage in apiculture. However, only between 4,000 and 7,000 are full-time beekeepers.
The average annual per-capita consumption of honey in the country ranges around one kilogramme.
