Ethiopia Prepares New Rules to Crack Down on Adulterated Honey

Ethiopia’s Ministry of Agriculture is preparing a new directive to curb adulterated honey, unlicensed trading and the sale of honey mixed with other products, as the government seeks to strengthen quality controls and expand the product’s access to international markets.

The draft directive, prepared over the past several months, has been submitted to the ministry’s senior management for approval, Aziz Ayalew, head of the Apiculture and Sericulture Development Desk, said.

Once approved, the directive will provide a wider legal framework for regulating the honey market and strengthen the authority’s enforcement powers, Aziz said. It is also intended to remove suppliers and producers that do not comply with legal requirements from the market.

The regulatory changes are being accompanied by a technology-based quality-control system developed by the Ethiopian Standards Institute in collaboration with the relevant regulatory authority.

Under the new system, honey suppliers will be required to hold valid business licences before placing their products on the market. Honey will also undergo laboratory testing to verify its quality and compliance with national standards.

Products that meet the required standards will receive a unique QR code for identification and verification.

The system will also allow suspected adulterated or substandard honey to be flagged. Products that fail quality requirements will be rejected, while GPS information will enable reports on the location of suspect products to be sent directly to regulators and the Ethiopian Standards Institute.

The system is currently being tested with a small number of suppliers. It is expected to be introduced more widely after the pilot phase establishes its effectiveness.

The ministry expects the new regulatory and verification system to increase the volume of Ethiopian honey exported to international markets and raise foreign-exchange earnings from the sector.

Source: FSX Business News