NHB Quality Assurance Policy draft
Mission Statement
The mission of the National Honey Board’s quality assurance program is that all honey sold in or exported from the U.S. is pure honey.
Vision Statement
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We believe the marketplace (the honey consumer) will demand that honey industry members meet quality assurance standards, regardless of whether the industry has a formal Quality Assurance program or not. The intent of the honey industry Quality Assurance Program will be to help all members of the industry meet these standards as they relate to honey contamination, microbiology, and economic adulteration.
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The Board will not inspect beekeeper facilities. Appropriate state and local regulations already cover these facilities. The Board does encourage safe and clean honey production and handling practices.
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Although some technology exists that can detect certain honey adulterants, inexpensive sweeteners that could be used to adulterate honey are continually being developed. The Board will have to invest in the development of new testing techniques in order to build a solid, enforceable Quality Assurance Program.
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The Board believes that in order to be effective, enforcement must be strong, not simply a slap on the wrist when intentional adulteration or contamination of honey occurs.
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The Board wishes to see those guilty of adulteration crimes pay the costs associated with their cases.
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The Board wishes to see adulterated honey totally removed from the honey market. Two options being considered to accomplish this removal include adding a "marker" to the honey (possibly dye), or destroying the honey.
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The Board’s new enabling legislation grants to USDA and to the Honey Board authority, unique to promotion programs, to enforce quality assurance standards. It will be the highest priority of the Board, in association with the industry, to develop with USDA the necessary tools for enforcement.
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The Board will work to have a high level of effective cooperation between USDA and other government agencies, such as FDA, in order to achieve the highest level of enforcement.
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Policies
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There is a clear, practical definition of what constitutes honey and effective means to determine if any given lot of honey is, in fact, pure.
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There are simple field tests for screening purity.
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There is an ongoing determination of all adulterants and development of detection materials.
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All industry segments have access to a centralized purity testing resource
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Communication and education programs proactively increase awareness of quality assurance issues.
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Honey buyers recognize and appreciate pure honey.
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All segments of the industry understand their role and the necessary practices to assure honey purity.
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There are effective two-way communications regarding honey purity between the National Honey Board and affected parties.
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National Honey Board quality assurance information will be shared with others in other nations to promote honey purity throughout the world.
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Honey is continually perceived by the public as a pure, wholesome food.
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The National Honey Board will facilitate industry cooperation in crisis management and media relations.
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Honey purity in all channels of U.S. commerce is ensured through effective monitoring.
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Honey purity standards are enforced to stop adulteration and remove impure product from the marketplace.
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Honey adulterators are punished in an effective and timely manner.
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Honey industry groups and governmental agencies work cooperatively for effective enforcement.
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Such actions may include dying, destruction, confiscation, etc. The cost is to be borne by perpetrators.
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The design and implementation of the quality assurance program benefits all segments of the industry equitably.