Notice to industry – Authenticity of honey in the Canadian marketplace

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) launched a targeted surveillance strategy in 2018 to verify if honey samples were authentic and not adulterated with foreign sugars. A report summarizing the findings has been posted.

• Report: Enhanced honey authenticity surveillance (2018 to 2019)

Of the 240 honey samples, 78% complied with Canada's regulatory requirements, including 100% for Canadian honey. This means that nearly 1 in 5 samples did not comply.

The purpose of this notice is two-fold:

1. to remind industry, including importers, distributors, and retailers, of the legal requirements regarding the importation, distribution, and sale of honey in Canada
2. to affirm industry's legal responsibility to ensure full compliance with the requirements

This 9 July 2019 Notice is available in its entirety on the CFIA website.