Honey labelling

Every beekeeper is required to indicate the following information on each jar of honey sold (ODAIOUs Art. 26, food labelling ordinance, OEDAI):

Name of the food, in accordance with Art. 3 para. 1 let. a of the Ordinance of the FDHA on information relating to foodstuffs (LIV) and Art. 98 of the Ordinance of the FDHA on foodstuffs of animal origin (VLtH): “Honey”. Comb honey, section honey and honey with pieces of comb must be labelled accordingly. Baker’s honey and industrial honey must additionally bear the statement “for cooking and baking only”.
Best-before date, in accordance with Art. 3 para. 1 let. e, Art. 13 and Annex 8 of the LIV: use “Best before …” when the day, month and year are stated. Otherwise, use “Best before end …”. If the shelf life exceeds 18 months, indicating the year is sufficient; if it exceeds three months but does not exceed 18 months, the month and year are sufficient. Abbreviations are not permitted.
Country of production, in accordance with Art. 3 para. 1 let. h and Art. 15 of the LIV: e.g. “Swiss honey”, unless the country of production is already evident from the name of the food or the address. In the latter case, the address must include at least the country, postal code and locality.
Name or company name and full address of the person who produces, imports, fills, packages or markets the honey (Art. 3 para. 1 let. g of the LIV).
Batch, in accordance with Art. 3 para. 1 let. m and Art. 19 and 20 of the LIV: the letter “L” must be followed by an indication or number that identifies the production or filling batch.
Net quantity, e.g. 1 kg, 500 g or 250 g, in accordance with the Quantity Declaration Ordinance (MeAV, SR 941.204).
The minimum character sizes for indicating the net quantity are 4 mm for jars of 1,000 g, 500 g and 250 g, and 3 mm for jars from 50 g to 200 g (MeAV, SR 941.204).

This information must appear in at least one official Swiss language and be clearly legible.

Optional information that is permitted:

Name of the food: in certain cases, the following names may be used instead of “honey”: blossom honey, honeydew honey, drained honey, extracted honey or pressed honey (Art. 98 of the VLtH).
Indication of botanical origin: where a floral or plant origin is indicated, e.g. linden honey, the honey must originate predominantly from the stated source and possess its organoleptic, physicochemical and microscopic characteristics (Art. 98 of the VLtH).
Geographical designation: where a regional, territorial or topographical indication is used, e.g. honey from the Gruyère region, honey from the Conches Valley or mountain honey, the honey must originate from the stated region and must not be blended with honeys from other origins. A regional designation does not replace the declaration of the country of production (Art. 98 of the VLtH).
Nutrition declaration: it is not mandatory for honey (Art. 21 para. 1 and Annex 9 of the LIV). If provided voluntarily, it must meet the legal requirements and be stated per 100 g. It includes energy, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates, sugars, protein and salt (e.g. per 100 g: energy 1,280 kJ [302 kcal], fat 0 g, of which saturated fat 0 g, carbohydrates 75 g, of which sugars 75 g, protein 0.4 g and salt 0 g).
Nutrition and/or health claims are permitted only if they comply with the legal requirements set out in Art. 29–35 of the LIV.

The following indications are prohibited:

In particular, claims attributing properties related to the prevention, treatment or cure of a human disease to honey, or presenting it as a therapeutic product, for example in connection with apitherapy, are prohibited (Art. 12 para. 2 let. c and d of the Foodstuffs and Utility Articles Ordinance [LGV, SR 817.02]).
Unauthorised or unsubstantiated nutrition claims, as well as incomplete claims regarding mineral or vitamin content, e.g. “Honey contains minerals and vitamins”, are not permitted (Art. 29 and 30 of the LIV).
An incomplete nutrition declaration, e.g. stating only the energy value without the other required information, is not permitted (Art. 22 of the LIV).

► Foodstuffs and Utility Articles Ordinance (LGV)

► Information from the honey inspector

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Honey labelling

Optional information that is permitted:

The following indications are prohibited:

See also: