On the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Directives 2001/110/EC relating to honey, 2001/112/EC relating to fruit juices and certain similar products intended for human consumption, 2001/113/EC relating to fruit jams, jellies and marmalades and sweetened chestnut purée intended for human consumption, and 2001/114/EC relating to certain partly or wholly dehydrated preserved milk for human consumption
AGRI-AD-752691
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development · Rapporteur: Emmanouil Fragkos
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The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development proposes amendments to the Commission's proposal to revise the 'Breakfast Directives' on honey, fruit juices, jams and preserved milk.¶¶ For honey, it wants origin labelling with percentages, a blockchain traceability system, an EU reference centre, a ban on vacuum evaporation, and rules on 'raw honey' and industrial honey.¶¶¶ For fruit juices, it creates a 'reduced-sugar' category with at least 30% less sugar, allows spices, herbs and fibre, and adds blood orange to the Brix table.¶¶¶ For jams, it lowers the minimum fruit content and allows concentrated juice; for milk, it allows lactose reduction by filtration.¶¶¶ It shortens the transposition period to 12 months, with honey rules applying 12 months after entry into force.¶¶¶
Committee position. The committee proposes amendments to the Commission's proposal, strengthening honey labelling, traceability and fraud controls, creating reduced-sugar fruit juice categories, lowering jam fruit content, and shortening transposition deadlines.¶¶¶
Key points
- The committee calls on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee to take its amendments into account.¶
- Honey labels must show the full names of all countries of origin, in descending order with their percentage and a 5 percent tolerance; packs of 25 g or less may use ISO country codes.¶
- A blockchain-based traceability system for honey is to be set up, with a database of beekeepers and operators and an EU reference centre for honey.¶
- The Commission is to adopt an implementing act on harmonised traceability within 12 months and methods for verifying compliance within 3 years.¶¶
- Honey must not be heated so that enzymes are destroyed or inactivated, or exposed to vacuum evaporation; artificial evaporation is to be prohibited.¶¶¶
- The terms 'raw honey' or 'unheated honey' may be used if no heat treatment has degraded sensitive enzymes, with a minimum invertase index of 50 U/kg, or 25 U/kg for low-enzyme honeys.¶¶
- Industrial honey must be labelled as such on bulk containers and documentation, and filtered honey may no longer be marketed as 'honey'.¶¶
- A new category of 'reduced-sugar fruit juice', 'reduced-sugar concentrated fruit juices' and 'reduced-sugar fruit juice from concentrate' is created, with at least 30% less sugar.¶¶
- Spices, aromatic herbs and fibre may be added to fruit juices, with the ingredient named alongside the legal name.¶¶¶
- Minimum fruit content for jams is lowered, rising again from 2030; concentrated juice is allowed in jams and jellies.¶¶¶
- Member States may authorise 'marmalade' for 'jam', except those with different terms for the two; 'citrus marmalade' may name the specific fruit.¶¶¶
- Lactose reduction in preserved milk may be done by filtration and/or conversion, with Member States able to limit or prohibit it.¶
Who is affected
- EU beekeepers and honey producers, who gain origin labelling and traceability rules.¶¶¶
- Honey importers and blenders, who must comply with traceability and labelling requirements.¶
- Fruit juice and jam producers, who face new product categories and fruit content rules.¶¶
- Consumers, who get more information on origin, sugar content and processing.¶
- Member States, which must set up databases and transpose the rules.¶¶
Figures and deadlines
- 46% of honey imported from non-EU countries was suspected of being non-compliant with EU legislation.¶
- Packs containing more than 25 g of honey must list countries of origin with percentages and a 5 percent tolerance.¶
- Reduction of sugar content must be at least 30% compared to fruit juice and fruit juice from concentrate.¶
- For concentrated reduced-sugar fruit juice intended for direct consumption, removal must be at least 50% of the water content.¶
- Heat treatment above 45°C causes degradation of certain honey constituents.¶
- Unripe honeys have a moisture content well in excess of the 20% threshold.¶
- Invertase index for 'raw honey' or 'unheated honey': not less than 50 U/kg, or 25 U/kg for low-enzyme honeys.¶
- Transposition period of 12 months; honey rules apply from 12 months after entry into force.¶¶¶