EU parliament wants to tackle honey fraud

Rumble with honey in Europe needs to be tackled harder, according to the European Parliament.

Moreover, Member States should punish fraudsters more severely. In order to determine what exactly is in a pot of honey, the European Commission must develop better laboratory tests, according to the parliamentarians.

They also argue for an action plan and more money to prevent bee mortality in Europe. This includes a ban on all pesticides- so-called neonicotinoids- that are harmful to bees and bumblebees, with a large majority. There should also be more protected areas for honey bees.

The approximately 600,000 beekeepers in the EU produce 250,000 tons of honey each year. Only China makes more. The largest honey producers in the EU are Romania, Spain and Hungary, followed by Germany, Italy and Greece. The EU imports about 200,000 tons.