In France, since January 1, 2021, manufacturers must indicate on the labels of jars of honey all the countries of origin of the harvest and in descending order of weight; the simple indication “mixture of EU and non-EU honeys”, for example, is no longer accepted.
For flower honeys, preferably choose jars whose label specifies their nature, for example “lavender honey and eucalyptus honey”. Whatever the flavor of the honey, choose pots that indicate the name of the producer or potter. And beware of low prices: raw, monofloral honeys such as chestnut or linden honey, or even from a specific environment, for example honey from the maquis, scrubland, mountain, etc., cannot be sold commercially below 15 euros per kilo.
There are well-identified scams and in particular one of them, quite common on the Côte-d’Azur: the sale of supposedly local orange or lemon tree honey. However, there is no citrus honey produced in France, except that of clementine from Corsica. These honeys actually come mainly from Spain, sometimes from Italy or the Maghreb. Another tip: don’t buy honey that appears liquid on the top and crystallized below. These are honeys that are too wet, harvested before the bees have had time to finish their work. It can also be a sign of a honey that has taken a heat stroke. In addition, the product degrades over time, it is necessary to favor a product with an expiry date as far away as possible.
Finally, when tasting, if the honey is grainy, it is not an addition of sugar, in other words a “adulteration”. But it is a characteristic of honeys which crystallize slowly like forest or acacia honey. Finally, despite often higher prices, prefer French honeys and better, “Label rouge”, guarantee of good quality.