Honey Monitoring Program and results

Overview

The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) administers an annual Honey Monitoring Program to assess samples of Ontario honey for compliance with Ontario Regulation 119/11 - Produce, Honey and Maple Products (O. Reg. 119/11) under the Food Safety and Quality Act, 2001. Anyone in Ontario who packs, labels, transports or sells honey, and is not federally licensed, must comply with this regulation (some exceptions apply).

About the process

1. Sample collection

Samples of Ontario honey are collected by appointed inspectors under the Food Safety and Quality Act, 2001. Samples are randomly collected from points of sale across the province, including retail stores, roadside stands, farmers' markets and farm gate.

Samples undergo:

• laboratory analysis by the University of Guelph’s Agriculture and Food Laboratory
• container and label review to determine whether they meet various requirements under O. Reg. 119/11

2. Container and label review

After a honey sample is collected, an OMAFRA inspector reviews the label and the sample container to assess whether they meet the regulation’s requirements for:

• container size
• container characteristics
• labelling

Farm gate honey (honey from the producer’s own apiary and sold directly to the consumer from the producer's place of residence), comb honey and honey in containers of 150 grams or less have different labelling requirements.

OMAFRA inspectors take the retail location, container size, and type of honey (comb or non-comb) into consideration when determining whether the container and label are compliant with O. Reg. 119/11.

3. Lead and chemical analysis

O. Reg. 119/11 prohibits the sale, transportation or packaging of honey that is contaminated.

All samples are analyzed by the University of Guelph's Agriculture and Food Laboratory for the presence of:

• lead
• sulfonamides (15 types)
• tetracycline
• oxytetracycline
• chlortetracycline
• lincomycin
• tylosin
• penicillin
• erythromycin
• chloramphenicol
• fumagillin

Levels detected are compared to the maximum allowable levels and guidelines set by the federal government. Samples with levels that exceed these limits are considered non-compliant with O. Reg. 119/11.

4. Grade and colour classification

Honey labels must include a grade and colour class that meet various criteria under O. Reg. 119/11. This requirement does not apply to comb honey, farm gate honey or honey packed in containers that are less than 150 grams.

5. Receiving results

All producers receive a letter detailing the testing results and label/container review for their honey sample.

Compliance action

If container or labelling requirements are not met, OMAFRA works with the person responsible for the honey to bring these products into compliance.

The first progressive stage usually involves providing education and advice to the producer. If producers do not adjust their practices to meet regulatory requirements, additional compliance action is taken which may include:

• verbal or written warnings
• compliance orders
• product detention
• seizure
• fines/tickets under the Provincial Offences Act

When lead or chemicals are detected above Health Canada's allowable level or guidelines, the honey producer and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) are immediately notified. Arrangements are made for an OMAFRA inspector to follow-up with the producer to help identify causes of the contamination and suggest corrective action. Compliance action could include the collection of additional samples, product detention, disposal and/or recall.

Program results

The following tables provide an aggregate summary of the results from OMAFRA's Honey Monitoring Program from 2019 to 2023.

Please note that the results from this program are not statistically viable and cannot be used to generalize the state of the honey industry.

Honey label review

Lead and chemical analysis

Contact us

For more information about OMAFRA's Honey Monitoring Program, please contact the Inspection Programs Unit by email at fpo.omafra@ontario.ca or call 1-877-424-1300.