Honey labelling to get stickier for importers

After more than a decade fighting for changes to honey labels, Canadian beekeepers finally have some good news.

During the industry’s annual meeting last January, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced that it will be proposing amendments to current honey regulations, including those involving label wording, a sticky subject for many apiarists.

“We’re reviewing options in order to promote informed food choices and prevent consumers from being misled with respect to the country of origin,” said Tom Hauschild with the CFIA’s Office of Food Safety and Recall.

Last year, Canadian beekeepers harvested more than 44 million kilograms of honey, says a preliminary report from Statistics Canada. This is up seven million kilograms from the year before, when the industry produced approximately $63 million worth of product. In 2006, nearly five million kilograms were imported, mainly from Argentina and Australia, reports Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

Currently, registered packers who import honey from foreign countries are able to sell their blend as Canada No. 1. But standards and pricing differ greatly between countries, says Heather Clay, national co-ordinator of the Canadian Honey Council, one group that asked the CFIA to review the regulations. “It’s not a level playing field. We have very high standards. We are very careful with what’s out there on the marketplace.”

In 2004, several brands were recalled when they were found to contain nitrofurans, antimicrobial drugs which are banned in Canada.

Honey bought overseas also harms Canadian producers’ pocketbooks. Bought cheaply, it brings home a big profit when sold in Canada at $2.09 per kilogram.

“The little guy needs $1.25 per pound ($2.75 per kilogram) just to break even,” says Adi Stoer, an apiarist from central Ontario who is glad that some solutions are being discussed. “One option being explored would be to restrict the use of the Canada grade name to honey produced in Canada,” explains Hauschild, stressing that this is only one option. 

The Canadian Honey Council would also like to see changes to the text detailing point of origin. The CFIA is taking this issue into consideration as well, notes Hauschild.

The CFIA’s next steps are to work with other government departments and the industry to put together a package which will then enter the gazetting process. BF