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New tutin honey standard to protect consumers and exports

18 December 2008

With the peak honey season fast approaching, the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) is reminding beekeepers to produce honey in accordance with food safety requirements.

“Tutin honey contamination is a serious risk for those harvesting honey from the beginning of January onwards in the Marlborough region and many North Island areas,” says NZFSA’s Senior Programme Manager (Animal Products) Jim Sim.

Honey can become contaminated with the potentially lethal toxin tutin when bees gather honeydew from the tutu plant. The honey dew is secreted by a vine-hopper insect which feeds on the plant.

“Beekeepers must ensure their honey hives aren’t contaminated with tutin, or there could be serious consequences – as we witnessed when 22 people fell ill after eating comb honey from Whangamata in March this year.”

NZFSA testing of the leftover comb honey, combined with the reported symptoms, were consistent with acute tutin poisoning.

NZFSA has introduced the Food (Tutin in Honey) Standard 2008 which aims to prevent honey that could be contaminated with tutin reaching consumers.

“Tutin has been a known food safety risk for some time, but NZFSA has only recently had sufficient scientific data on which to base a maximum level,” Jim says. “Provided beekeepers comply with the standard we should see no repeat of the poisonings that occurred at Easter this year.”

The standard, which applies to beekeepers, packers and exporters, sets a maximum level of tutin in honey sold for human consumption. Previous controls were voluntary in the domestic sector and mandatory for exported products.

The maximum level of tutin in extracted honey is 2 milligrams per kilogram and the maximum level of tutin in comb honey is 0.1 milligrams per kilogram. Comb honey is potentially more risky than liquid or creamed honey because any toxin present may be concentrated in small parts of the comb.

Jim says the standard has been significantly improved following meetings with beekeepers and submissions from the public.

“The standard provides a number of options for beekeepers, packers and exporters to demonstrate compliance with the maximum level. It recognises that testing is just one way to effectively manage the contamination problem and some of the other options make the standard more workable, especially for the smaller ‘hobbyist’ beekeeper.”

Under the standard, honey harvested from the beginning of January to the end of June must either be tested or the supplier has to confirm they have:

• a registered risk management programme, or

• a food safety programme, or

• located their beehives in a geographical location that has no significant tutu within a 3km radius of beehives, or

• any beehives located in the South Island excluding Marlborough, or

• inspected representative tutu bushes in a 3km radius of beehives, weekly from 1 January until the honey is harvested, and there is no honeydew present on the tutu. If honeydew is found to be present then the honey has to be extracted, blended and tested before sale to ensure it is safe.

The standard comes into force on 25 January 2009 and will be reviewed after the first season’s operation to ensure it is effective. The main risk period for tutin contamination is between January and May.

NZFSA is in the process of mailing out copies of the new standard and a compliance guide to every registered beekeeper. These documents are also available on the NZFSA web site at www.nzfsa.govt.nz/animalproducts/subject/bee-products/index.htm

Ends

For further comment about the standard contact: Jim Sim, Senior Programme Manager (Animal Products), 029 894 2609

For further information contact: Gary Bowering, NZFSA Communications Manager, 029 894 2532