Honey in BiH: quality requirements and what the label must say

This article is for beekeepers and producers who sell honey from the farm, at a market, in a shop or to tourists. It describes the rules in force on 6 October 2026: what may be called "honey", which values a laboratory checks, and what the label must say.

In short

• The name "honey" may be used only for products defined in Annex I, section A and Annex IV of the Rulebook; anything else may not be sold as honey.
• The label must name the country (or countries) where the honey was collected. For a blend from several countries the label may say "blend of honeys from EU Member States", "blend of honeys from non-EU countries" or "blend of honeys from EU Member States and non-EU countries".
• Honey is sold only in original packaging, and the producer must keep a producer specification with an accredited laboratory report and the stated shelf life.
• According to the guidelines of the Food Safety Agency of BiH, a laboratory checks among other things moisture (generally max 20%), HMF (max 40 mg/kg), diastase activity (generally at least 8) and sugars.
• The duty to show a percentage per country on blends is not yet in force: only a draft amendment exists.

Who it applies to

Anyone who produces, packs or sells honey and other bee products in BiH, including small beekeepers selling directly to customers.

What to do

1. Sell under the name "honey" only a product that meets the definition: honey is made by honey bees (Apis mellifera), with no foreign taste or smell, not fermenting, with no artificially changed acidity and not heated so that natural enzymes are destroyed (as the Guidelines summarise the Rulebook). No other ingredients or additives may be added.
2. Take a sample to an accredited testing laboratory and keep the report. Compliance is checked with the methods in the separate Rulebook on methods for control of honey (Official Gazette of BiH 37/09, amended in 84/19, which among other things added an HPLC method for sugars) and other validated international methods.
3. Prepare the producer specification (Article 5): a short description of the production process, the laboratory report, sensory properties, product name, date production started or of packing, the product group under the Rulebook, and the shelf life. The former two-year cap on shelf life was deleted by the 2011 amendment (Official Gazette of BiH 25/11, Article 1).
4. Pack in original packaging made of food-contact suitable material. Net quantity must stay within the permitted deviation: up to 6% for packs up to 50 g, 3.5% for 51 to 100 g, 2.5% for 101 to 500 g and 1.5% above 500 g (Article 4).
5. Draw up the label under the general food information rules (Rulebook on providing food information to consumers, Official Gazette of BiH 68/13) and add the country of origin. Article 3 of the 2009 text still points to older labelling rulebooks, which 68/13 replaced, and the draft amendment also refers to 68/13. Check all mandatory label particulars in Rulebook 68/13.
6. Adding a floral source (for example acacia or chestnut) to the name is allowed only if the honey comes wholly or mainly from that plant and has its properties. A regional, territorial or topographic origin may be named only if the honey comes entirely from that area (Article 3). For "unifloral" honey the pollen of that plant must make up a minimum share of the sediment, for example 20% for acacia and 85% for sweet chestnut (Guidelines).
7. Store honey in closed containers in dry, dark, ventilated rooms at 18 to 22 °C (Article 7).

Deadlines and amounts

The Guidelines give these reference values (for general honey; some honey types have exceptions):

• moisture: max 20% (heather and industrial honey up to 23%);
• fructose and glucose together: at least 60 g/100 g for blossom honey, 45 g/100 g for honeydew and blends;
• sucrose: generally max 5 g/100 g (acacia 10 g, rosemary 8 g, lavender 15 g);
• HMF: max 40 mg/kg;
• diastase: at least 8 (unit as shown in the laboratory report; at least 3 for honey naturally low in enzymes with HMF up to 15 mg/kg);
• free acidity: max 50 milliequivalents per 1000 g.

For exact limits by honey type check Annex II of the Rulebook or ask the laboratory.

What is changing

On 5 February 2026 the Food Safety Agency of BiH published a draft amendment to the Rulebook transposing EU Directive 2024/1438. Under it, blends would list all countries of origin on the front of the label, in descending order by share of weight, with a percentage. Public consultation has ended, and as far as we could verify the amendment has not been published in the Official Gazette of BiH. According to the draft text (Articles 7 and 8), application would start six months after entry into force, which is the eighth day after publication in the Official Gazette of BiH. The draft would also drop the requirement to store honey at 18 to 22 °C (Article 4), so step 7 may change. For blends it would allow a 5% tolerance on each share, and for packs under 30 g two-letter country codes (ISO 3166-1) instead of country names. In EU countries these rules on listing countries of origin with percentages have applied since 14 June 2026, so take them into account if you export honey to the EU. Check the Agency's position before printing new labels.

Where to go

• Agencija za sigurnost hrane Bosne i Hercegovine (Food Safety Agency of BiH): regulations, guidelines and public consultations.
• The competent food inspection: in Republika Srpska the Inspektorat Republike Srpske (Inspectorate of Republika Srpska), and in Trebinje also the Odjeljenje za inspekcijske poslove Grada Trebinja (City of Trebinje inspection department).
• An accredited testing laboratory of your choice for sample analysis.

Laws and sources

• Pravilnik o medu i drugim pčelinjim proizvodima (Službeni glasnik BiH br. 37/09, 65/10 and 25/11; the link opens the original 2009 text)
• Pravilnik o izmjenama i dopunama Pravilnika o medu i drugim pčelinjim proizvodima (Službeni glasnik BiH br. 25/11)
• Pravilnik o izmjenama i dopunama Pravilnika o metodama za kontrolu meda i drugih pčelinjih proizvoda (Službeni glasnik BiH br. 84/19)
• Smjernice za interpretaciju rezultata ispitivanja kvaliteta meda (Food Safety Agency of BiH)
• Draft Rulebook amending the Rulebook on honey (February 2026)
• Public consultation: draft amendment of the Rulebook on honey (February 2026)