On Tuesday, 12 December, the European Parliament adopted its ambitious position strengthening the proposal revising the marketing standards applicable to certain agri-food products, including honey.
In adopting (522 votes in favour, 13 against, and 65 abstentions) the report by Alexander Bernhuber (EPP, Austrian), MEPs have agreed that the country where the honey was harvested must appear on the label. They add that for fruit juices, jams, jellies, marmalades, and sweetened chestnut purée, the country of origin of the fruit used must also be indicated on the front label (see EUROPE 13303/10).
If the honey or fruit used originates from more than one country, MEPs want the countries of origin to be indicated on the label in descending order according to what proportion of the final product they represent.
To limit fraud, MEPs want to set up a traceability system for the honey supply chain so as to know where a product originates from. They also want the EU to create a reference laboratory for honey so that controls can be improved and adulteration can be detected through systematic testing.
MEPs are proposing that the label ‘contains only naturally occurring sugars’ be allowed for fruit juices. The European Parliament is ready to open discussions with EU governments on the final form of the text. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)