Each year, the U.S. produces an average of 130-150 million pounds of American honey. Yet, Americans consume an average of 600 million pounds of honey per year. Since domestic production falls far short of demand, the U.S. must import large quantities of honey. Unfortunately, these imports often bring a host of problems for both consumers and domestic producers.
One of the most pressing issues is honey adulteration — a widespread practice where authentic honey is mixed with cheaper ingredients like corn or rice syrup to increase volume and reduce cost. Because it’s expensive and difficult to test honey authenticity, many adulterated products are mislabeled and sold as real honey. This not only misleads consumers but also floods the market with low-cost, low-quality honey, driving down prices and making it harder for American beekeepers to survive — especially when they’re already dealing with significant colony losses every year. Something has to change.
The American Honey Producers Association (AHPA) has been working with lawmakers in Washington, D.C. for years to address a variety of industry challenges — particularly trade issues that affect U.S. honey producers (see our political agenda at www.ahpanet.com). U.S. honey producers had a successful history of antidumping suits until recently. The flood of “honey” from China into the world market has made dumping suits ineffective. In addition, the demand for cheap honey in the ingredient market has remained high.
The collaborative efforts of Kevin Raeder, David Mendes, Dave Hackenberg, and Brett Adee with Representative Greg Steube (R-FL) led to connecting his staff with AHPA. Over the past year, Eric Silva (AHPA’s D.C. counsel) and the AHPA Executive Committee have collaborated with Congressman Steube to lead the charge for the Honey Integrity Act (a revision of the former HIVE Act). H.R. 2162 was introduced March 13 in the House by Rep. Steube and co-sponsored by Rep. Panetta, while simultaneously introduced in the Senate (S. 128) by Senator Tuberville.Here are a few key provisions of the Honey Integrity Act:
- Creates a Federal Standard of Identity for Honey: Requires the FDA to establish a formal definition and standard for honey to prevent mislabeling and ensure product integrity.
- Enhances Federal Oversight: Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to submit a report to Congress detailing enforcement actions against adulterated and misbranded honey.
- Mandates the Destruction of Adulterated Honey: Ensures that when fraudulent honey is identified, it is destroyed — protecting consumers and honest beekeepers.
- Strengthens Consumer Protection Without Expanding Government: Holds fraudulent sellers accountable while avoiding unnecessary government expansion, fees, or regulatory burdens.
- Accountability Without Government Overreach: The Honey Integrity Act creates the Honey Integrity Program, an enforcement mechanism to stop those who misrepresent or knowingly sell adulterated or misbranded honey. This program will be created without requiring additional federal employees or costly government programs.
Beekeepers have long voiced concerns over cheap, adulterated honey imports undermining domestic prices. The Honey Integrity Act is a direct response — designed to combat those imports and protect both producers and consumers. For the first time, we have a real opportunity to make a difference.
Your Action Item: Let’s make change happen — contact your lawmakers and ask them to co-sponsor the Honey Integrity Act today.
