On December 14, 2022, the US FDA published data on imported honey samples that violated regulations and were collected during FY 2021–22. The agency conducted this sampling assignment under the Import Sampling and Risk-Based Import Entry Screening Program to assess the extent of economically motivated adulteration in imported honey and to identify violative products.
Here is the data of the 144 Imported honey samples.
The FDA collected and tested 144 import samples, including bulk and retail shipments, and found 14 samples (10%) to be violative. The imported honey was from 32 countries and 40 % of the honey imported were from India and Vietnam. India has one violative sample out of 29 tested and Vietnam has three violative samples tested out of 28. Highest number of violative samples (4 violative samples out of 4 tested) were from Yemen. The screening was based on the results of Stable Carbon Isotope Ratio Analysis (SCIRA), that analyses the organic composition of the honey samples.
FDA Import alert on “Adulteration of Honey”
Following this assignment, the FDA has issued import alert as guidance for FDA field personnel regarding the adulterated imported honey and issued a red list of firms and their products
Authorities detain products on the red list without conducting a physical examination. The red listed firms belong to Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam, and Yemen.
To release the shipments, subjected to detention without physical examination, the consignee/owner of the shipment must provide the sample test results from third-party laboratory analysis done according to AOAC Official Method 991.41, to prove that the product does not contain added cane or corn sugar.
Let us understand, what an Economically Motivated Adulteration is.
What is Economically Motivated Adulteration?
Economically motivated adulteration occurs when someone intentionally removes a valuable ingredient or part of a food, or substitutes it with a substance to make the product appear better or more valuable. This practice is considered food fraud.
What are the adulterants in Honey?
Honey is susceptible to economic adulteration when producers add sweeteners. Undeclared addition of sweeteners (like sugar syrups from cane, corn, rice, sugar beets, etc) to honey, lowers the production cost for manufacturers and misbranding it as honey, deceives the consumers.
Honey labelling (for U.S. Market) – What’s right?
US FDA has published a guidance document for honey labelling. This guidance enables consumers and producers to identify and use the appropriate labeling terminology for honey and honey products sold in the U.S. market. Failure to meet the labelling requirements may deem the honey as misbranded or adulterated.
- What is honey?
Honey is a thick, sweet, syrupy substance that bees produce from the nectar of plants or secretions of living plant parts and store in honeycombs.
- Does honey require ingredient statement on the label?
Honey is a single ingredient food and hence does not require ingredient statement on the label
- How to label honey from floral sources?
It is not mandatory to name the floral source/plant source. However, you may choose to name it for example, “Clover honey” based on the chief floral source of honey. The claims regarding the floral sources must be truthful and not misleading
- How to label a mixture of honey and sweetener like sugar/corn syrup?
Label the product as “Blend of Honey & Sugar Syrup” when it contains more honey than sugar syrup, or as “Blend of Sugar Syrup & Honey” when it contains more sugar syrup than honey. Also, list the details of the sweetener in the statement of ingredients.
- How to label a flavoured honey?
Label honey containing a flavor ingredient as, for example, “Strawberry Flavored Honey.” Also, list the flavor ingredient in the statement of ingredients.
Are there any tests that can be performed by the consumers to check if the honey is adulterated or not?
Yes, there are a few tests that can be done by consumers at home to detect adulteration in honey. Our article “The Honey Trap: Testing the purity of honey” describes the same.
Proper labeling of honey enables consumers to make informed choices regarding whether they are purchasing blended or pure honey.
India is the largest honey exporter in the world and exports most of its honey to the US. The sector still maintains a high level of compliance, with 28 out of 29 samples found unadulterated. This outcome reflects both the strict oversight by FSSAI on honey manufacturers and the manufacturers’ commitment to producing and exporting high-quality honey.
Who we are?
We at Food Safety Works have a team of experts with over 200+ years of collective experience.
The company started as “Quality and Food Safety Consultants” in 2009 to bridge the knowledge gap in the industry regarding Food Safety Management Systems. We take a 360-degree view of food safety starting with design, implementation and monitoring.
