Safety of Australian Honey Supply

The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) is aware of recent claims in media articles that some Australian honey is unsafe for consumers. Not only are these statements untrue, they are damaging to the wider beekeeping industry and the regional communities that play a vital role in bringing these quality products to market. They also risk undermining Australia’s reputation as a producer of safe, high quality honey in growing export markets.

The AFGC works on behalf of the food and grocery industry and is concerned at any unjustified attack on the integrity or safety of Australia’s food supply. Australia has a well deserved reputation globally for high standards of food safety backed by a rigorous regulatory system at federal, state and local levels. The AFGC takes food safety seriously and has a long track record of working with governments, non-government organisations and member companies to maintain Australia’s high food safety standards in the interests of both consumers and the food industry.

A number of honey producers are members of the AFGC, including Australia’s largest honey producer Capilano which has been targeted in recent attacks.  They share a commitment to delivering high quality and safe products to Australian consumers and to their export customers. Consumers can trust reputable Australian brands like Capilano and their clear statement that all Capilano brand honey is made from 100% pure Australian honey.

Further, all food sold in Australia whether imported or domestically produced must meet the requirements of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.  We do not have one food safety rule for Australian produced food and a lower standard for imports – it is all required to be safe. Consequently imported honey must meet the same safety standards as locally produced honey under Australian law, and to meet this requirement imported honey is subject to surveillance inspection.

The recent scaremongering about the safety of Australian honey has been rejected by the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council, the peak body for honey associations in Australia. It is important for the reputation of the industry that these unfounded and unjustified accusations are rejected and consumers reassured about the safety of Australian honey supply.