Honey: sales remain steady whilst awaiting approval of the quality specifications
The ‘Breakfast Directive’ is not enough to guarantee complete transparency: in Brussels, the ‘Certified Quality Honey’ single specification – the sector’s first standard under the National Livestock Quality System (Sqnz) – is currently under review. Meanwhile, suspicions of adulteration are mounting
by Maria Teresa Manuelli
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Key points
- Large-scale retail market at 157 million (-0.8 per cent), a further 150 outside the channel
- Country-of-origin labelling from 14 June, but with three exemptions
- Fraud: 46 per cent of imported samples are suspected of being fraudulent
- Mielizia up 2.8 per cent, Conapi turnover at 24.5 million, exports up 20 per cent
On 14 October, the review of the single specification ‘Certified Quality Honey’ – the sector’s first national standard under the National Livestock Quality System (Sqnz) – concluded in Brussels. The text, published in the Official Gazette on 22 April 2026 and notified to the European Commission, requires no pasteurisation, extraction by centrifugation only, a moisture content of less than 17 per cent and traceability throughout the supply chain.
Conapi, the National Beekeepers’ Consortium of Monterenzio (Bologna), contributed to the drafting of the document as part of the work coordinated by Unaapi. It hopes the regulations will come into force swiftly: according to the Director-General Nicoletta Maffini, “certified quality is the next step beyond labelling regulations, at a challenging time for Italian honey”.
Large-scale retail market at 157 million (-0.8 per cent), a further 150 outside the channel
After a year of heat and drought, in fact, in 2025 domestic production stood at around 31,000 tonnes, whilst imports exceeded 26,000 tonnes (+18 per cent), according to the National Honey Observatory. Supermarket shelves are feeling the impact: over the last 52 weeks to 23 August 2026 (NielsenIQ, Italia), the market is worth over €157 million, with a 0.8 per cent decline in value, 2.4 per cent in volume and 0.3 per cent in number of packs. Maffini estimates that sales outside this channel amount to a further 150 million euros or so.
Country-of-origin labelling from 14 June, but with three exemptions
As regards jars, however, a new rule is already in force. From 14 June 2026 , Directive (EU) 2024/1438, known as ‘Breakfast’ , transposed by Legislative Decree 207/2025, will apply: countries of origin must be listed in descending order along with their respective percentages, whereas previously the phrase ‘blend of EU and non-EU honeys’ was sufficient. There is a benefit for consumers, but the exemptions limit its impact: a 5 per cent tolerance on each component, optional percentages for minor components if the first four countries account for more than 60 per cent of the blend, and a two-letter code for quantities under 30 grams (so, for example, a single-portion pack will bear ‘CN’ for China).
“We are grateful for this step forward, but we believe it is still not enough,” says Maffini. “Ideally, we would like to see full origin labelling, with all the percentages specified in the case of blends.” He adds: “The most important work remains: promoting and raising awareness of Italian honey, its value and its variety.”
