S. 1028: Honey Integrity Act

The Honey Integrity Act is a proposed legislation aimed at ensuring the quality and authenticity of honey sold in the United States. The key objectives of the bill include the following provisions:

Establishment of Standards

Within one year of the law's enactment, the Secretary of Health and Human Services is required to set a standard of identity for honey based on applicable guidelines from the United States Pharmacopeia. This standard will help ensure that honey sold meets specific criteria for authenticity and purity.

Reporting and Enforcement

By the end of two years after the enactment, the Secretary must submit a report to Congress regarding enforcement actions related to:

• Adulterated honey that does not meet safety or quality standards, and
• Misbranded honey that is misleadingly labeled.

Honey Integrity Program

The legislation establishes a program called the Honey Integrity Program, aimed at detecting economically motivated adulteration (EMA) in honey. This program includes the following key elements:

• The Secretary will require commercial honey packers to conduct testing on honey intended for sale in the U.S. within 180 days after the bill becomes law.
• Packers must certify their compliance with testing requirements and assure they have not engaged with any adulterated honey.
• Testing methods will include advanced scientific techniques, such as DNA testing, to identify any forms of adulteration.

Responsibilities of Honey Packers

Qualifying commercial honey packers will have several obligations under this program:

• Regularly report testing results to the Secretary, as specified.
• Notify authorities about any discovered cases of economically motivated adulteration and refuse to accept such honey for packaging.

Investigation and Data Sharing

Upon discovering economically motivated adulteration, the Secretary is required to:

• Investigate and conduct tests, and if confirmed, destroy the adulterated honey.
• Share identification data with various federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
• Keep stakeholders informed, including producer associations, about any incidents of adulteration.

List of Honey Packers

The Secretary will maintain and regularly update a list of all qualifying commercial honey packers that comply with the bill's provisions, which will also include any packers excluded from this classification.

Interagency Cooperation

In developing the testing protocols, the Secretary will liaise with the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and other pertinent federal agencies to ensure comprehensive enforcement and testing procedures. If the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lacks necessary resources for honey testing, other agencies will provide assistance.

Funding and Fees

To support the Honey Integrity Program, the bill mandates that qualifying honey packers will pay specified fees. Collected fees will be strictly allocated to fund the program, subject to the appropriations set by Congress.

Definitions

For clarity, the bill defines:

• Economically motivated adulteration (EMA): Practices aimed at increasing the value of food by altering its composition, which can lead to adulteration.
• Qualifying commercial honey packer: Any packer obligated to pay assessments to the National Honey Board.
• Secretary: Refers to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, unless otherwise stated.

Relevant Companies

None found