Transparent supply chain: Brussels halts the honey specification and launches a supplementary investigation

The European Union has halted the national honey specification. Brussels did not grant approval by 14 October for the single specification “Certified quality honey”, the first national standard for the sector, published in the official gazette on 22/04/2026 and notified to the European Commission.

A few days before the deadline, the EU requested an extension for a more thorough examination of the text.
The standard drawn up by the Ministry of Agriculture excludes pasteurisation, provides for extraction only by centrifugation, moisture below 17% and supply-chain traceability.

Cold shower
A shock for operators who, just a few metres from the finish line, had become convinced of a positive outcome. In fact, this is not a rejection of the text, but if the EU has requested a supplementary investigation something does not add up. “We are confident of receiving a positive response on its application by October,” said Nicoletta Maffini, director general of Conapi, the Bologna-based cooperative that helped draft the text, diplomatically. “Once operational, the rules would provide greater quality guarantees and greater transparency throughout the supply chain.”

Breakfast Directive

According to some operators, the honey supply remains insufficiently transparent despite the recent rules on the product’s origin. The rules on honey traceability refer to Legislative Decree 207/2025, which transposes the European “Breakfast” Directive and requires an origin label showing the percentages of the blends on the front of the packaging, together with the countries where the honey was collected, each with its own share. In the past, a generic “blend of EU and non-EU honeys” was sufficient. For products under 30 grams, the names of the countries of origin may be replaced by a two-letter code: in single portions served in bars or hotels, “CN” may be indicated if the origin is China.

Multi-purpose product

Honey is consumed not only in households and the food industry, but also in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and agriculture. In 2025, Italy produced approximately 31.000 tonnes of it and imported more than 26 thousand, +18%. A drought-stricken summer hit harvests in Italy, and the shelves were filled with foreign production.
In large-scale retail, in the rolling year ending 23 August 2026, honey sales, recorded by NielsenIQ, remained stable at 157 million euros.

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This article was translated from the original Italian version with the assistance of artificial intelligence. In case of discrepancies, please refer to the original Italian version.