Standards & Regulations

Global honey standards & regulations we work to.

A plain-English guide to the published standards that govern honey in our key markets. These are the primary sources our buyers, QA teams and notified bodies reference — collected here so you can read them straight from the regulator.

We provide the honey, the documentation and the independent test data that supports compliance with these standards. Interpretation and sign-off remain with your regulatory team.

United Kingdom

UK food law and honey-specific rules

The UK Food Standards Agency sets the food-safety baseline for the UK market, and the Honey (England) Regulations define what may be sold and labelled as honey here. DEFRA and APHA govern import controls and the export health certificates required to ship honey in or out of GB.

Food Standards Agency
UK food-safety regulator. Guidance, alerts and rules used by every UK food business.
www.food.gov.uk
FSA — Honey context paper
FSA's published overview of the honey market, authenticity and supply-chain risk.
www.food.gov.uk/research/honey-the-context
The Honey (England) Regulations 2015
Statutory instrument covering the legal definition, composition and labelling of honey for sale in England.
www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/1348
DEFRA — Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
UK government department responsible for food, farming and import/export policy.
www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs
APHA — Animal and Plant Health Agency
Issues Export Health Certificates (EHCs) for honey leaving GB and runs the National Bee Unit.
www.gov.uk/government/organisations/animal-and-plant-health-agency
National Bee Unit (BeeBase)
APHA's bee health programme — disease surveillance, registered apiary inspections and statutory notifiable disease list.
www.nationalbeeunit.com

European Union

EU Honey Directive & food safety

The EU Honey Directive is the reference standard most international buyers cite. EFSA assesses food-safety risk across the bloc, and TRACES is the official system used to issue and verify import paperwork.

EU Honey Directive (consolidated text)
Council Directive on honey — definitions, moisture, sugar profile, processing and labelling.
eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32001L0110
European Commission — Food Safety
Commission portal for EU food-safety rules, import controls and official-control regulations.
food.ec.europa.eu/safety_en
EFSA — European Food Safety Authority
Independent EU agency providing scientific risk assessments — including honey contaminants, residues and pyrrolizidine alkaloids.
www.efsa.europa.eu
TRACES NT — EU import/export system
Official EU platform for sanitary and phytosanitary certification — used for CHED-D entry of honey into the EU.
webgate.ec.europa.eu/tracesnt/login

New Zealand

Mānuka — the gold standard

New Zealand operates the most rigorous national framework for any honey variety. The MPI scientific definition and UMFHA grading system are central to how genuine Mānuka is verified for export.

Ministry for Primary Industries — Mānuka honey
MPI's scientific definition of monofloral and multifloral Mānuka, and the export certification rules.
www.mpi.govt.nz/food-safety-home/food-safety/manuka-honey/
UMF Honey Association
Industry body behind the UMF™ quality mark — leptosperin, MGO, DHA and HMF marker testing.
www.umf.org.nz

United States

FDA labelling and USDA grading

US honey is governed by FDA food-safety and labelling rules, with voluntary USDA grading widely referenced in commercial specifications.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration — Food
Federal food-safety authority for products sold in the United States.
www.fda.gov/food
FDA — Food labeling and nutrition
Mandatory labelling, allergen and nutrition rules for the US market.
www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition
USDA — Honey grades and standards
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service grading system for honey colour, clarity and defects.
www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/honey

International

Codex Alimentarius — the global benchmark

Codex Alimentarius is the joint FAO/WHO international food standards body. The Codex standard for honey is the neutral reference used in global trade.

Codex Alimentarius Commission
International food standards adopted jointly by the FAO and WHO. The global definitional benchmark for honey.
www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/en/
Codex Standard for Honey (CXS 12-1981)
The Codex standard text itself — composition factors, methods of analysis and labelling for honey in international trade.
www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/sh-proxy/en/?lnk=1&url=https%253A%252F%252Fworkspace.fao.org%252Fsites%252Fcodex%252FStandards%252FCXS%2B12-1981%252FCXS_012e.pdf

Methods & Laboratories

Analytical methods and reference laboratories

Specifications and certificates of analysis only mean something if the methods behind them are sound. These bodies define the harmonised analytical methods used by the labs that test honey worldwide.

International Honey Commission (IHC)
Publishes the harmonised methods of analysis used internationally for honey — moisture, HMF, diastase, sugars, conductivity, free acidity.
www.ihc-platform.net
Fera Science
UK applied-science laboratory used widely across the food industry for residue, contaminant and authenticity testing.
www.fera.co.uk
QSI — Quality Services International
Germany-based reference laboratory specialising in honey analysis, authenticity and residue testing.
www.qsi-q3.de/en/
UKAS — United Kingdom Accreditation Service
National accreditation body for UK laboratories. Underpins the validity of UK-issued certificates of analysis.
www.ukas.com

Industry & Beekeeping

Beekeeping bodies and industry associations

These organisations don't set the law, but they shape best practice — disease management, hive husbandry and the wider context of how honey is produced.

British Beekeepers Association (BBKA)
UK's national beekeeping body. Education, healthy-hive guidance and amateur/commercial standards.
www.bbka.org.uk
Bee Farmers' Association
Trade association for commercial bee farmers in the UK and Ireland.
www.beefarmers.co.uk
Apimondia — International Federation of Beekeepers' Associations
Global federation of national beekeeping associations. Hosts the Apimondia World Beekeeping Congress and publishes statements on honey authenticity and adulteration.
www.apimondia.com

Standards FAQ

Honey standards, plainly explained.

What is the legal definition of honey in the UK?+

Set out in the Honey (England) Regulations 2015 — honey is the natural sweet substance produced by Apis mellifera bees from plant nectar or honeydew. No ingredient may be added; nothing characteristic of honey may be removed. Equivalent regulations apply in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

What is the EU Honey Directive?+

The EU's reference standard for honey, defining honey, its composition criteria (moisture, sugar profile, HMF, diastase) and labelling rules across the single market. Cited internationally even outside the EU.

What is Codex Alimentarius?+

The joint FAO/WHO international food standards body. The Codex standard for honey (CXS 12-1981) is the neutral global benchmark used in international honey trade.

How is genuine New Zealand Mānuka defined?+

By the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) scientific definition, using a combination of chemical markers (including 3-phenyllactic acid, 2′-methoxyacetophenone, 2-methoxybenzoic acid and 4-hydroxyphenyllactic acid) and a DNA marker for Leptospermum scoparium pollen.

What is UMF and how does it relate to MGO?+

UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) is a quality mark from the UMF Honey Association covering MGO, leptosperin, DHA and HMF together. MGO measures methylglyoxal alone. Both grade Mānuka — see our MGO/UMF converter for equivalents.

Does the FDA regulate honey in the US?+

The FDA regulates food safety and labelling for all foods sold in the US, including honey. The USDA separately operates a voluntary grading system for honey colour, clarity and defects, widely referenced in commercial specifications.

Are these standards mandatory?+

It depends on the standard and your market. UK and EU regulations are statutory in their jurisdictions. Codex and UMF are reference standards used in trade. As a technical supply partner we provide the data and documentation that supports compliance — interpretation and sign-off remain with your regulatory team.

A note on scope. bulkhoneyco is a technical supply partner, not a regulatory authority. The links above are to third-party regulators and standards bodies — bulkhoneyco is not affiliated with any of them. Standards change; always confirm the current text directly with the issuing body before relying on it for product files or label claims.

Keep reading

Regulatory & compliance

The full QMS documentation pack — specs, SDS, CoA, allergen and origin declarations.

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