04/09/2026
China next hopefully!
NEWS: EU suspends honey imports from Brazil
The imported honey story took another interesting turn this week as the EU suspended imports of honey from Brazil.
From 3 September, Brazil is no longer authorised to export honey — along with a number of other animal products — to the EU because it has not provided sufficient guarantees that it complies with new EU requirements on the use of antimicrobials.
This matters because Brazil is a significant honey exporter. In 2024, the EU imported around 2,627 tonnes of Brazilian honey, which enters the European market alongside honey imported from many other countries.
The timing of this decision is particularly interesting for consumers.
This is because of the new EU honey labelling regulations, which came into effect in June. According to the new legislation, the countries of origin of blended honey must now be shown on the jar, together with their percentage contribution. So a blend containing honey from countries such as China, Brazil, Mexico or Argentina is now much easier for consumers to identify.
The new import ban does not mean that Brazilian honey already sitting on supermarket shelves suddenly disappears. But from 3 September, consignments of Brazilian honey cannot enter the EU while Brazil remains unauthorised.
In a week when there has been so much discussion about where supermarket honey actually comes from, this is another reminder of why transparency matters so much in the food chain — whether it is about where our honey comes from or what is actually in it. As consumers, we have a right to know before we buy it.
As consumers, we can decide where we spend our money. If you want to know where your honey comes from, read the country-of-origin information on the jar. You can choose to support the big importers where there is not one drop of Irish honey in the jar. Or you can choose to support Irish bees and Irish beekeepers and buy guaranteed Irish honey from a local beekeeper.
