Overview

Title

To provide for the protection of the integrity of honey marketed in the United States, and for other purposes.

ELI5 AI

H.R. 2162 is a plan to make sure that the honey sold in the U.S. is real and pure by testing it carefully; it also wants to charge honey packers for these tests to help keep things running smoothly.

Summary AI

H.R. 2162 aims to ensure the quality and purity of honey marketed in the United States by establishing a "Honey Integrity Program." The bill mandates the Secretary of Health and Human Services to set a standard for honey quality and requires honey packers to conduct rigorous scientific testing to prevent economically motivated adulteration. Packers must report any findings of adulterated honey and the Secretary is tasked with investigating and sharing this data with relevant enforcement and industry stakeholders. The bill also allows for the collection of fees from honey packers to fund these activities.

Published

2025-03-14
Congress: 119
Session: 1
Chamber: HOUSE
Status: Introduced in House
Date: 2025-03-14
Package ID: BILLS-119hr2162ih

Keywords AI

honey integrity program honey adulteration honey quality standards secretary of health and human services honey packers scientific testing methods economically motivated adulteration interagency cooperation report to congress fees for honey packers

Sources

Bill Statistics

Size

Sections:
4
Words:
1,469
Pages:
8
Sentences:
30

Language

Nouns: 437
Verbs: 119
Adjectives: 91
Adverbs: 19
Numbers: 50
Entities: 83

Complexity

Average Token Length:
4.42
Average Sentence Length:
48.97
Token Entropy:
5.02
Readability (ARI):
27.48

AnalysisAI

General Summary of the Bill

The bill titled "To provide for the protection of the integrity of honey marketed in the United States, and for other purposes," also known as the "Honey Integrity Act," aims to enhance the quality and authenticity of honey sold in the United States. Introduced in the House of Representatives in March 2025, it involves the establishment of a standardized identity for honey, a report on enforcement actions regarding misbranded honey, and the creation of a Honey Integrity Program. These measures are designed to prevent the marketing and sale of adulterated honey.

Significant Issues

Several significant issues emerge from the bill:

  1. Fees and Financial Burdens: The Honey Integrity Program grants the Secretary the power to impose fees without stating caps or limits, which might lead to excessive financial burdens on honey packers.

  2. Testing Requirements: The bill mandates testing that aligns with unnamed international best practices and involves costly scientific methods. This can present interpretation difficulties and impose economic challenges, especially for smaller packers.

  3. Implementation Timelines: There is a limited 180-day window for honey packers to comply with testing requirements, which might not be feasible for all, particularly smaller entities.

  4. Lack of Detailed Criteria: The Secretary has significant discretion to unilaterally exclude certain packers from being considered qualifying packers. The absence of clear criteria for these exclusions may lead to perceptions of bias or unfair practices.

  5. Resource Allocation: There is no specification in the bill regarding the funding or resources required for implementing enforcement actions and preparing reports, potentially resulting in unfunded mandates.

Potential Impacts on the Public

For the general public, ensuring the purity and authenticity of honey could enhance consumer confidence and safeguard health and safety. By standardizing the identity of honey and improving enforcement against adulteration, consumers may benefit from higher quality and more reliable products.

Potential Impacts on Stakeholders

Positive Impacts:

  • Consumers: They stand to benefit from clearer labeling and assurance of authentic honey products, preventing health risks associated with adulterated goods.
  • Law Enforcement and Regulatory Bodies: These entities may experience enhanced mechanisms for detecting and deterring fraud, leading to more effective market oversight.

Negative Impacts:

  • Honey Packers, Especially Smaller Ones: The costs and technological demands posed by the advanced testing requirements might be prohibitive. Smaller operations could struggle to meet these demands within the short compliance timeframe, potentially threatening their viability.
  • Commercial Stakeholders: Without clear limitations on fees, honey packers may face unpredictable financial obligations, which could impact operating budgets and pricing structures.

Overall, while the bill's goals align with consumer protection and market integrity, effective implementation will depend on clear guidelines, equitable cost distribution, and sufficient preparation time for stakeholders to adapt to new requirements.

Issues

  • The Honey Integrity Program allows the Secretary to specify fees without setting limitations on the amounts, potentially leading to financial burdens on honey packers and possible misuse of fee assessments. (Section 4)

  • The bill requires testing to align with or surpass best practices of unnamed foreign countries without detailing what those practices entail, possibly leading to interpretation challenges and inconsistencies. (Section 4)

  • The effective date for commercial honey packers to comply with testing requirements is only 180 days after enactment, which may not provide sufficient preparation time for smaller packers. (Section 4)

  • The bill does not specify costs related to establishing a standard of identity for honey, potentially leading to unforeseen expenses for stakeholders. (Section 2)

  • The timeline of 'not later than 1 year after enactment' to develop a honey identity standard might be insufficient, which could result in inadequate guidelines. (Section 2)

  • The lack of funding or specific resources allocated for enforcement actions or report preparation could result in unfunded mandates, impacting effective implementation. (Section 3)

  • The program relies on high-level scientific testing methods that may be cost-prohibitive for some packers, creating unequal economic burdens. (Section 4)

  • The bill grants substantial power for interagency cooperation but lacks clear timelines and accountability measures, which could lead to implementation delays and inefficiencies. (Section 4)

  • The Secretary's authority to unilaterally exclude certain packers from being classified as 'qualifying commercial honey packers' lacks clear criteria, posing risks of bias or unfair application. (Section 4)

Sections

Sections are presented as they are annotated in the original legislative text. Any missing headers, numbers, or non-consecutive order is due to the original text.

1. Short title Read Opens in new tab

Summary AI

The section provided designates the name of the legislation as the "Honey Integrity Act."

2. Standard of identity for honey Read Opens in new tab

Summary AI

The section mandates that within one year of the new law's enactment, the Secretary must set a specific definition for honey that aligns with existing standards set by the United States Pharmacopeia, as required by federal law.

3. Report to Congress on enforcement actions with respect to misbranded honey Read Opens in new tab

Summary AI

The section requires the Secretary to submit a report to Congress within two years of the law's enactment, detailing enforcement actions related to honey that is either adulterated or misbranded according to specific sections of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

4. Honey Integrity Program Read Opens in new tab

Summary AI

The Honey Integrity Program is set up by the Secretary to ensure honey is not fraudulently altered before being sold in the U.S. Under this program, honey packers must test their products using advanced scientific methods, report the results, and reject any adulterated honey, while the Secretary will coordinate with other agencies and manage resources and funding for this effort.