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AzerNEWS Staff

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The State Policy in the field of food and food product safety has prepared a new draft of a technical normative legal act titled "On the approval of sanitary norms and rules related to honey," in order to establish state policy and implement regulatory oversight in this area, based on a decision of the Board of the Azerbaijan Food Safety Agency (AFSA), AzerNEWS reports.

The document has been submitted to the "Licenses and Permits" portal for coordination with relevant institutions and for public consultation. Sector specialists and entrepreneurs can review the document and share their opinions.

The new document defines the safety and minimum quality indicators of honey and further improves existing regulations in this field. The rules have been developed based on the relevant directives of the European Union and the Codex Alimentarius Commission's "Honey Standard" documents.

The rules apply to all types of honey, including floral honey, honeydew (nectar) honey, comb honey, strained honey, and other forms. The document specifies requirements related to product composition, production methods, storage conditions, transportation rules, and labeling.

According to the new requirements, the addition of any foreign substances to honey is prohibited; the natural properties of honey must be preserved and it must not be subject to artificial interference; strict compliance with temperature and hygiene requirements must be ensured during storage and transportation; and consumers must be provided with accurate and complete information through labeling. Labels must include a mandatory warning stating:"Honey should not be given to infants under one year of age."

The document also establishes minimum pollen content indicators for honeys with a known botanical origin, which will help determine the product's provenance.

The implementation of these rules will contribute to improving the quality of honey production, preventing the circulation of counterfeit honey products, and protecting consumer rights.

For additional information, you may follow the provided link.