ANNEX INAMES, PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS AND DEFINITIONS

1.

Honey is the natural sweet substance produced by Apis mellifera bees from the nectar of plants or from secretions of living parts of plants or excretions of plant-sucking insects on the living parts of plants, which the bees collect, transform by combining with specific substances of their own, deposit, dehydrate, store and leave in honeycombs to ripen and mature.

2.

The main types of honey are as follows:

  1. (a)

    according to origin:

    1. (i)

      blossom honey or nectar honey

      Honey obtained from the nectar of plants;

    2. (ii)

      honeydew honey

      Honey obtained mainly from excretions of plant sucking insects (Hemiptera) on the living part of plants or secretions of living parts of plants;

  2. (b)

    according to mode of production and/or presentation:

    1. (iii)

      comb honey

      Honey stored by bees in the cells of freshly built broodless combs or thin comb foundation sheets made solely of beeswax and sold in sealed whole combs or sections of such combs;

    2. (iv)

      chunk honey or cut comb in honey

      Honey which contains one or more pieces of comb honey;

    3. (v)

      drained honey

      Honey obtained by draining decapped broodless combs;

    4. (vi)

      extracted honey

      Honey obtained by centrifuging decapped broodless combs;

    5. (vii)

      pressed honey

      Honey obtained by pressing broodless combs with or without the application of moderate heat not exceeding 45 °C;

    6. (viii)

      filtered honey

      Honey obtained by removing foreign inorganic or organic matter in such a way as to result in the significant removal of pollen.

3.

Baker's honey

Honey which is (a) suitable for industrial uses or as an ingredient in other foodstuffs which are then processed and (b) may:

  • have a foreign taste or odour, or

  • have begun to ferment or have fermented, or

  • have been overheated.

ANNEX IICOMPOSITION CRITERIA FOR HONEY

Annotations:
Editorial Information

Honey consists essentially of different sugars, predominantly fructose and glucose as well as other substances such as organic acids, enzymes and solid particles derived from honey collection. The colour of honey varies from nearly colourless to dark brown. The consistency can be fluid, viscous or partly to entirely crystallised. The flavour and aroma vary, but are derived from the plant origin.

When placed on the market as honey or used in any product intended for human consumption, honey shall not have added to it any food ingredient, including food additives, nor shall any other additions be made other than honey. Honey must, as far as possible, be free from organic or inorganic matters foreign to its composition. With the exception of point 3 of Annex I, it must not have any foreign tastes or odours, have begun to ferment, have an artificially changed acidity or have been heated in such a way that the natural enzymes have been either destroyed or significantly inactivated.

Without prejudice to Annex I, point 2(b)(viii), no pollen or constituent particular to honey may be removed except where this is unavoidable in the removal of foreign inorganic or organic matter.

When placed on the market as honey or used in any product intended for human consumption, honey must meet the following composition criteria:

  1. 1.

    Sugar content

    1. 1.1.

      Fructose and glucose content (sum of both)

      —blossom honey

      not less than 60 g/100 g

      —honeydew honey, blends of honeydew honey with blossom honey

      not less than 45 g/100 g

    2. 1.2.

      Sucrose content

      —in general

      not more than 5 g/100 g

      —false acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia), alfalfa (Medicago sativa), Menzies Banksia (Banksia menziesii), French honeysuckle (Hedysarum), red gum (Eucalyptus camadulensis), leatherwood (Eucryphia lucida, Eucryphia milliganii), Citrus spp.

      not more than 10 g/100 g

      —lavender (Lavandula spp.), borage (Borago officinalis)

      not more than 15 g/100 g

  2. 2.

    Moisture content

    —in general

    not more than 20 %

    —heather (Calluna) an baker's honey in general

    not more than 23 %

    —baker's honey from heather (Calluna)

    not more than 25 %

  3. 3.

    Water-insoluble content

    —in general

    not more than 0,1 g/100 g

    —pressed honey

    not more than 0,5 g/100 g

  4. 4.

    Electrical conductivity

    —honey not listed below, and blends of these honeys

    not more than 0,8 mS/cm

    X1—honeydew and chestnut honey and blends of these except with those listed below

    not less than 0,8 mS/cm

    —exceptions: strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo), bell heather (Erica), eucalyptus, lime (Tilia spp.), ling heather (Calluna vulgaris), manuka or jelly bush (leptospermum), tea tree (Melaleuca spp.)

  5. 5.

    Free acid

    —in general

    not more than 50 milli-equivalents acid per 1 000 grammes

    —baker's honey

    not more than 80 milli-equivalents acid per 1 000 grammes

  6. 6.

    Diastase activity and hydroxymethylfurfural content (HMF) determined after processing and blending

    1. (a)

      Diastase activity (Schade scale)

      —in general, except baker's honey

      not less than 8

      —honeys with low natural enzyme content (e.g. citrus honeys) and an HMF content of not more than 15 mg/kg

      not less than 3

    2. (b)

      HMF

      —in general, except baker's honey

      not more than 40 mg/kg (subject to the provisions of (a), second indent)

      —honeys of declared origin from regions with tropical climate and blends of these honeys

      not more than 80 mg/kg