How to Read a Honey Label: Types, Origin, Water, HMF, Baker's Honey
In the EU only one product may be called honey, and the law says what its label may and must say. These 15 terms follow the EU Honey Directive 2001/110/EC and its 2024 update on origin: honey types, how honey is extracted, the quality limits and the countries on the jar.
What may be called honey
The law defines honey and lets the name be completed with a plant or a place only if it is true.
- 🍯 Honey
- A natural sweet substance made by the honey bee Apis mellifera and left to ripen in the comb. Nothing may be added to it: no sugar, no additive, no other ingredient.
- Blossom honey
- Honey from the nectar of flowers. It must contain at least 60 g of fructose and glucose per 100 g.
- Honeydew honey
- Honey made mostly from honeydew, the sweet excretions of plant-sucking insects on trees. It is darker and needs only 45 g of fructose and glucose per 100 g.
- Lime (linden) honey (Lime, buckwheat, acacia…)
- A plant name is allowed only if the honey comes wholly or mainly from that plant and has its taste, chemistry and pollen. Acacia (Robinia) honey may have up to 10 g of sucrose per 100 g; most honey only 5.
- Baker's honey
- Honey for industry or for foods cooked later. It may taste odd, have started to ferment or been overheated, so the words «intended for cooking only» must stand next to the name.
How it was obtained
- Comb honey
- Honey sold in the sealed wax cells built by the bees, without larvae, whole or in pieces. Chunk honey is liquid honey with a piece of comb in the jar.
- Extracted and pressed honey
- Extracted honey is spun out of the uncapped combs. Pressed honey is squeezed out of the combs, with or without gentle heat of up to 45 °C.
- Filtered honey
- Honey filtered so finely that much of the pollen is removed. It must always be sold under its full name, «filtered honey», never as plain honey.
- Creamed honey
- Honey with fine crystals that spreads like butter. In EU law it is not a separate type: it is ordinary honey.
Quality limits
These limits apply to every honey sold as honey in the EU, except baker's honey.
- Water content
- At most 20 %, or 23 % for heather honey.
- HMF in honey (HMF)
- A substance that builds up when honey is heated or stored long. At most 40 mg/kg, or 80 mg/kg for honey declared to come from tropical regions.
- Diastase activity (Diastase)
- A natural bee enzyme destroyed by overheating. Honey needs at least 8 on the Schade scale; low-enzyme honeys such as citrus may have 3 if their HMF is very low.
- Honey crystallisation (Crystallisation)
- The law says honey may be fluid, thick or crystallised. Crystals form naturally as honey ages and do not mean it was spoiled.
Origin
- Honey origin labelling (Country of harvest)
- The label names the country where the honey was harvested. Since 14 June 2026 a blend must list all countries, from the largest share down, with percentages, in the main field of view.
- Protected honey names (Regional names and PDO, PGI)
- A region may be named only if all the honey comes from it. Protected names such as Miel de Provence or Miód kurpiowski follow their own registered rules.
Sources
Themes
🥛Types of milkFrom cow to reindeer: composition, benefits, value🧀Cheeses of the worldParmesan, feta, bryndza, sulguni and more🥣Fermented milk productsKefir, yogurt, kumis, matsoni, skyr🌍Dairy traditionsRegions, peoples and their dairy products🐄Dairy animalsWhich animals are milked and how their milk differs🚚The journey of milkFrom pasture to shop — step by step❤️Milk and healthCalcium, lactose, allergy, benefits and risks👷JobsWho works with milk🗺️Map of traditionsWorld regions, peoples and their products on a map⚖️ComparisonsKefir or yogurt, sour cream or cream, and more🍳RecipesCottage cheese, yogurt, ghee, paneer, butter — at home📜History of milkFrom domestication to Tetra Pak🫒OlivesVarieties, oil, table olives, regions and traditions🥃SpiritsWhisky, brandy, rum, liqueurs: how they are made, what the label says, which traditions🌼Monofloral honeyAcacia, lime, chestnut, lavender🏷️Protected honey namesMiel de Provence, Kraški med and other PDO and PGI🐝Bee productsBeeswax, propolis, pollen, bee bread, royal jelly🪵Apiary and beekeepingHives, frames, extractor, the beekeeper’s year🌸Honey plantsWhich plants give bees their nectar⚖️Honey labels and qualityCountry of origin, moisture, adulteration