Honey

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) regulates federally registered honey establishments and honey imported into Canada to verify that honey is safe and wholesome, properly packaged and labelled according to the regulatory requirements, and eligible to be traded interprovincially, exported or bear the Canada grade mark.

CFIA activities include:

• registration and inspection of federal honey establishments;
• inspection of domestic and imported honey to verify compliance to grade, standardized container sizes, net quantity and labelling requirements;
• sampling of honey for composition and chemical residues analysis;
• policy and program development to support market access at all levels of trade.

The key acts and regulations we enforce are:

• Canada Agricultural Products Act
  • Honey Regulations
• Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act
  • Consumer Packaging and Labelling Regulations
• Food and Drugs Act
  • Food and Drug Regulations

Information we provide for consumers includes:

• Food Recall and Allergy Alerts
• Food Safety Tips

Information we provide for the food industry includes:

• Food Safety Enhancement Program (HACCP)
• Guide to the Labelling of Honey
• Honey Establishment Inspection Manual
• Import, Export and Interprovincial Requirements
  • Automated Import Reference System (AIRS)
  • Registration Requirements for Establishments Repacking Imported Honey
  • Exports of Honey to European Union (EU)
• Other Bee Products - Commodity Characteristics and Legislative Authority
• Reference Listing of Accepted Construction Materials, Packaged Materials and Non-Food Chemical Products
• Working Residue Levels in Honey

Additional government and industry information can be found at:

• Production and Value of Honey and Maple Products (Statistics Canada)
• Canadian Honey Council
  • Honey Industry Bulk Container Standard
• Health Canada
  • Honey and Infant Botulism
  • Pest Management Regulatory Agency
  • Working Residue Levels (WRLs) For Antimicrobial Residues In Honey