10 replies to this topic

[TimG]

I have a customer who has a customer that wants to use our honey in Canada, and they've requested we verify on letterhead that the product is 'fresh'-"fresh" is the only format allowed by Health Canada, this cannot be a dried ingredient" I can't seem to find any legal definition of 'fresh' especially in regard to honey on Health Canada's pages. Is anyone aware of a definitions page that I might be missing in my search?

[jfrey123]

Admittedly using AI to cheat with this answer, but "fresh" is usually in reference to grown ag products (fruit and veg) and otherwise isn't very clearly defined.  When Canada gets into meat definitions, "fresh" means it has not been previously frozen or treated to alter its natural state, so you could provide a letter stating that your company deems your honey fresh in that it has not been significantly changed from raw form and has not been previously frozen.  Maybe this customer can provide a direct link to the Canadian regulation they are referencing?

[kconf]

Maybe they want to know if it's raw & unfiltered or regular honey. 

[TimG]

Maybe they want to know if it's raw & unfiltered or regular honey. 

That one would have made sense and was the first thing I asked. They said their customer was under the impression Canada wants to make sure the honey isn't dried and reconstituted. I can't even begin to fathom why any honeypacker would go through drying and reconstituting honey. It spends most of its time in crystal form naturally.

I'm also kind of a stickler about putting out statements if I haven't thoroughly researched all the implications. I get weird requests from customers often but not one where they were so specific while pointing to a regulatory body (in this case 'fresh' and Health Canada) that I haven't heard of or can't easily find.

Was hoping @scampi would chime in because she reads CA regs before bed every night is what I've heard.

[jfrey123]

I went down a half-way rabbit hole from my first reply.  Most USA retail honey is labeled as "raw and unfiltered" at my local grocery store as long as it isn't the generic fake stuff (comparing to syrup vs Pure Maple Syrup" which is all in the pancake aisle).  If they can't just call honey in a jar "fresh" then man, there's some bureaucracy crap that probably needs to be addressed someday lol.

 

 

Was hoping @scampi would chime in because she reads CA regs before bed every night is what I've heard.

 

You forgot to spin around and recite three O'Canada's to summon her expertise with working the web of CFIA info.

[MDaleDDF]

I went down a half-way rabbit hole from my first reply.  Most USA retail honey is labeled as "raw and unfiltered" at my local grocery store as long as it isn't the generic fake stuff (comparing to syrup vs Pure Maple Syrup" which is all in the pancake aisle).  If they can't just call honey in a jar "fresh" then man, there's some bureaucracy crap that probably needs to be addressed someday lol.

 

 

 

You forgot to spin around and recite three O'Canada's to summon her expertise with working the web of CFIA info.

[Scampi]

sorry you find our process so hard..............just googled CFIA honey labelling and voila

 

https://inspection.c.../industry/honey

 

 

FRESH is not a permitted word

[TimG]

They didn't want it for labeling so much as a statement. Once I couldn't find any info on 'fresh' with anything other than fruits/vege I told them I was going to reject their request.

I did meet them halfway and update one of my current statements with a line saying we don't dry or reconstitute honey.

Honeys natural state is crystal, not sure why they think CA would be concerned with people drying it out...

[Scampi]

As far as CFIA is concerned only this is honey

https://inspection.c...entity-volume-5

 

whether it's creamed, liquid or crystalline isn't mentioned

[Scampi]

you may also want to refer to this

https://inspection.c...endium-volume-9

[TimG]

I think that's the one I will send over to the customer just for their own reference. We (my customer and I) were guessing that their customer was mistaking requirements for 'fresh' because CA regs do repeatedly call out fresh fruit and vege. This chart kind of cements that.