New labels on honey since 2026. We'll pay more

Since June 2026 all jars of honey on the EU marketplace – besides in Poland – will gotta have a new, more detailed labelling system, resulting from the adopted EU Directive. The labels will appear accurate information on the countries of origin of honeysubmitted in order of decreasing weight share, including percentage indication of each component. The intent of this amendment is to increase transparency of honey trade and better protection of consumers against false or generic “mix of EU and non-EU honeys”.

Although Polish Chamber of Honey (PIM) admits that the direction of change is right, it besides warns against Information chaos and cost increases for legally operating producers. The fresh government may confuse consumers and further hamper the fight against the illicit trade in honey, which already exists present almost without supervision.

Mixtures that origin confusion

During the transitional period – from now until June 2026 – on the marketplace there will be 4 different types of honey markingswhich may make it hard for customers to measure product quality. The current situation is as follows:

• Imported honey they can inactive be labelled as "a mixture of EU and non-EU honeys", very generally.
• Polish producers, from 18 April 2024., they are obliged to indicate circumstantial countries of origin, e.g. “honey from Poland”, “a mixture of honeys from Poland and Hungary”.
• Products marketed before 18 April 2024. can be sold until 18 April 2026. Even with erstwhile labels.
• As of June 2026. any description will besides gotta contain exact percentages concerning the countries of origin of ingredients.

This means that for almost a year longer the consumer will be faced with different description models, which, as PIM itself admits, can hinder informed purchasing choicesInstead of making it easier.

Percentages that are hard to verify

While the fresh regulations are intended to service the integrity and fight counterfeiting, experts ask: how to check the veracity of the information on the label? In practice, the indication that the jar contains e.g. 42% honey from Ukraine, 36% from Hungary and 22% from Poland, it will be almost impossible to verify unambiguously with the presently available laboratory methods.

The EU Directive provides for the improvement of modern control technologies specified as:

• spectroscopy,
• isotopic analysis of unchangeable elements,
• chemometry,
• dust analysis.

However, as he emphasizes dr hab. inż. Joanna Katarzyna Banach, Prof. UWM in Olsztyn, DNA analysiswhich is effective for another food products, not suitable for honey testing. – Molecular methods are besides delicate to factors specified as pollen, honey processing or choice of DNA extraction techniques," the expert explains. – In the current state of cognition do not meet the requirements of authoritative quality controlWhich makes them not suitable in laboratory practice.

Costs to hit producers

Implementation of the fresh requirements means serious investments for honey-containing companies. According to estimates of the Polish Chamber of Honey, changing the markings will be costly, due to the fact that it will include:

• purchase of fresh Industrial printers,
• modernisation of production lines,
• redesign label graphics,
• software update and information systems.

For larger producers, this expenditure is calculated in hundreds of thousands of zlotys. For smaller ones, this may mean a simplification in activity or a cessation of production. meantime – as Przemysław Rujna of PIM notes – in the marketplace there is simply a parallel grey zonewhich does not bear specified costs.

The problem of illicit trafficking in honey

In the opinion of the Polish Chamber of Honey, 1 of the biggest threats to honest producers is Development of illicit trade in honeyin particular:

• on the bazaars,
• on national roads,
• online sales without registration of activities.

In specified cases, there is frequently no any label, date of useor even basic information on origin. – Legal producers are under constant control and invest in compliance, while the black marketplace is developing almost impunitylessly, says Przemysław Rujna. It's not just an economical problem, it's besides an economical problem. a hazard to consumer safetywho may be unaware of what they're truly buying.

Perspective: Hope or Fear?

Although EU improvement of honey labelling assumes Increasing transparency and the fight against unfair practices, in practice may prove to be expensive regulation, hard to enforce and not always readable to the average consumer. Experts stress that without effective control and regulation of the grey zone, the fresh rules can only become a burden for legal producers, not a real marketplace protection tool.

Ruyna Industry notes that the beekeeping environment expects the government a reasonable draft national billwhich will take into account the organisational capacity of the industry. But for now, despite the passing of time, the law implementing the EU Directive has not yet been publishedand producers do not know how to prepare for the coming changes.

In the face of rising production costs, it is hard to avoid the question: Will we not simply pay a higher price for a jar of honey for transparency on the label?