Last week all MEPs voted in the plenary session of the EU parliament at Strasbourg to confirm that honey is a natural substance with no ingredients.
The need for a definition arose after analysis found the presence of GM pollen in a honey sample. If pollen had been deemed to be an ingredient honey would need to be tested for contamination, expected to cost around £85 per batch produced. This would have easily eroded the profits of small scale honey producers in the UK, and undermined existing GM labelling regulations.
Julie Girling explained: "The ingredient/constituent argument has arisen due to the labelling implications of each option. If pollen continues to be considered a ‘constituent’, any GM pollen present would not need to be labelled.
"This is because, according to the GM regulation, only GM content above 0.9% needs to be labelled. Since pollen only forms around 0.5% of any batch of honey, it would never exceed the labelling threshold".
The report was supported by 430 votes to 224, with 19 abstentions. Member states are expected to finalise their joint position on 12 February, after which ‘trialogue’ negotiations between the European Commission, Parliament and Council can start.