This act establishes a mandatory, science-based testing and certification program for commercial honey packers to prevent economically motivated adulteration and sets an official standard of identity for honey.
W. Steube
Representative
FL-17
The Honey Integrity Act establishes a clear standard of identity for honey based on existing quality benchmarks. It mandates that commercial honey packers implement rigorous, scientifically advanced testing protocols to detect fraud and adulteration. Furthermore, the bill requires the Secretary to report on enforcement actions against mislabeled honey and establishes a new program funded by packer fees to ensure honey sold in the U.S. is authentic.
The Honey Integrity Act Mandates DNA Testing for U.S. Honey, Targeting Food Fraud
If you’ve ever wondered if the honey in your pantry is the real deal—or just a syrup blend—this new legislation is for you. The Honey Integrity Act is a direct response to the problem of economically motivated adulteration (EMA), which is a fancy way of saying companies are cutting honey with cheaper stuff like corn syrup or rice syrup to boost profits. This bill aims to stop that by forcing the industry to use some serious science to prove their product is pure.
The Official Definition of Honey, Finally
First up, the bill tackles a foundational issue: defining what honey actually is. Section 2 requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish an official, legal standard of identity for honey within one year. This definition won’t be pulled out of thin air; it must be based on the established standards already laid out in the United States Pharmacopeia (USP). This means that for the first time, the government will have a clear, enforceable benchmark for quality. If you’re a consumer, this is great news, because it means the word "honey" on a label should finally mean the same thing every time.
Mandatory DNA Testing and the 24-Hour Rule
The biggest change comes with the creation of the Honey Integrity Program (Section 4). Starting 180 days after the bill passes, every "qualifying commercial honey packer" in the U.S. must begin mandatory, high-tech testing on their honey before selling it. We're talking cutting-edge forensic methods here: nuclear DNA testing, mitochondrial DNA testing, and high-resolution mass spectrometry. This is the kind of testing you see in crime shows, now being used to catch food fraudsters.
Packers must certify to the Secretary that they’ve done the testing and haven't found any intentional tampering. If a packer does discover that a batch has been intentionally adulterated—say, they find rice syrup where there should only be nectar—they have to report that fraud to the Secretary and law enforcement within 24 hours. This swift reporting requirement is designed to stop fraudulent honey from entering the supply chain immediately. Once fraud is confirmed by federal labs, the bill mandates the honey be destroyed, and the data shared with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other enforcement agencies to prevent future imports of the same fake stuff.
Who Pays and the Funding Catch
This program isn't free. The bill requires qualifying commercial honey packers to pay a mandatory fee to fund the testing and enforcement efforts. This means legitimate U.S. producers will shoulder the administrative cost, which is a new financial burden on their operations. While this is intended to make the program self-sustaining, there’s a catch in the fine print: the collected fees can only be spent if Congress specifically approves the funding in an appropriations bill. This reliance on a separate future vote by Congress introduces a potential hurdle. If the fees are collected but the funding is delayed, the program could stall right out of the gate, leaving the FDA and CBP scrambling for resources to enforce these new, complex testing rules.