(a) “Honey” means the natural sweet substance produced by honeybees from the nectar of plants or from secretions of living parts of plants or excretions of plant sucking insects on the living parts of plants, which the bees collect, transform by combining with specific substances of their own, deposit, dehydrate, store, and leave in the honeycomb to ripen and mature.

(b) “Blossom honey” or “nectar honey” means the honey that comes from nectars of plants.

(c) “Honeydew honey” means the honey that comes mainly from excretions of plant sucking insects (Hemiptera) on living parts of plants or secretions of living parts of plants.

(d) Honey consists essentially of different sugars, predominantly fructose and glucose as well as other substances such as organic acids, enzymes, and solid particles derived from honey collection. The color of honey can vary from nearly colorless to dark brown. The consistency can be fluid, viscous, or partially to completely crystallized. The flavor and aroma vary, but are derived from plant origin.

(e) Honey sold as described in subdivision (d) shall not have added to it any food ingredient, including food additives, nor shall any other additions be made other than honey. Honey shall not have any objectionable matter, flavor, aroma, or taint absorbed from foreign matter during its processing and storage. Honey shall not have begun to ferment or effervesce and no pollen or constituent particular to honey may be removed except where unavoidable in the removal of foreign inorganic or organic matter.

(f) Honey shall meet the following standards:

(1) Honey shall not be heated or processed to such an extent that its essential composition is changed or its quality is impaired.

(2) Chemical or biochemical treatments shall not be used to influence honey crystallization.

(3) Honey shall not contain more than 20 percent moisture content and for heather honey not more than 23 percent.

(4) Honey shall contain not less than 60 percent fructose and glucose, combined.

(5) Honeydew honey and blends of honeydew honey with blossom honey shall not contain less than 45 percent fructose and glucose, combined.

(6) Blossom honey shall not contain more than 5 percent sucrose, except for the following:

(A) Alfalfa (Medicago saliva), citrus spp., false acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia), French honeysuckle (Hedysarum), Menzies banksias (Banksia menziesii), red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis), leatherwood (Eucryphia lucida), and Eucryphia milligani may contain up to 10 percent sucrose.

(B) Lavender (Lavandula spp.) and borage (Borago officinalis) may contain up to 15 percent sucrose.

(7) The water insoluble solids content for honey other than pressed honey shall not be more than 0.1g/100g. The content for pressed honey shall not be more than 0.5g/100g.

(Amended by Stats. 2009, Ch. 388, Sec. 1. (AB 1216) Effective January 1, 2010.)