WASHINGTON –Today, Congressman Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) introduced H.R. 4764, the Honey Identification Verification and Enforcement (HIVE) Act, which would require the creation of a standard of identity for honey and update the labeling requirements for honey. North Dakota is the No.1 honey state, producing approximately $31.2 million pounds in 2022.
“North Dakota produces more honey than any other state. Yet, there is no standard definition of honey. This puts American producers at a disadvantage against disingenuous or fraudulent “honey” imports. The HIVE Act will provide consumers confidence that when they buy a product labeled as honey, it’s actually honey. These updates are commonsense and long overdue,” said Congressman Armstrong.
“The HIVE Act is a good step in the right direction to protect against the influx of diluted, adulterated and misbranded honey imports,” said North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring. “Consumers will be informed about the honey they buy and our domestic beekeeping industry will have a level playing field against overseas companies.”
The HIVE Act would:
- Require the Food and Drug Administration to finally establish a standard of identity for honey and subsequently report to Congress on enforcement actions taken with respect to adulterated or misbranded honey.
- Reorganize the existing US Department of Agriculture country of origin labeling requirements by utilizing the consumer-familiar ingredient labeling criteria.
- Countries of origin would be listed in order of predominance, allowing the consumer to discern the origin of blended honey.
Full text of the bill can be found here.
