The True Source Honey program will enhance its standards starting Jan. 1, 2021  to better address honey authenticity.

The updated standards will note that True Source Certified Honey whether imported to North America or purchased directly from North American beekeepers is tested for authenticity by an accredited laboratory at some point in the supply chain using either EA/LC-IRMS and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) profiling or EA/LC-IRMS and High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS) analysis. This is in addition to the long-established pollen analysis requirements for shipments of honey from countries identified as high-risk.

“The True Source Certified standards previously required its packers to maintain a system to analyze honey authenticity, but had not specified exact testing methodologies,” said Gordon Marks, executive director of True Source Honey. “The new standards specify authenticity testing which utilizes longstanding approved methods along with cutting-edge technologies to detect sugar/syrups.”

“True Source Honey launched the True Source Honey program ten years ago in response to illegal shipments of honey from China. The honey claimed to be from other countries to avoid U.S. tariffs on Chinese origin honey,” said Marks. “While most honey comes from high-quality, legal sources, adulterated honey and illegally sourced honey remains a global issue that undercuts fair market prices and damages honey’s reputation for quality and safety.”

The True Source Honey Certification Program is a voluntary industry program.

NSF International, a global public health and safety organization and independent certification body for the food industry, conducts the auditing and certification for the True Source Honey program worldwide.