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From 14 June 2026, the amendments introduced by Directive (EU) 2024/1438 are now applicable across the EU, bringing important changes to honey, fruit juices, jams and preserved milk products.

Key changes include:

🍯 Honey – Clearer origin labelling for blends, with countries listed in descending order by weight, plus stronger measures to support authenticity and traceability.

🧃 Fruit Juices – New provisions for reduced-sugar juices and clearer communication that fruit juices contain only naturally occurring sugars.

🍓 Jams & Marmalades – Increased minimum fruit content requirements and greater flexibility in the use of the terms "jam" and "marmalade" for certain citrus products.

🥛 Preserved Milk Products – Recognition of lactose-free preserved dehydrated milk products, expanding consumer choice.

🎯 The changes aim to improve transparency, support informed consumer choices and strengthen confidence in food authenticity.

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The data we get is vital for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to demonstrate the social, economic and industrial impact of the Government Chemist.

So if you have used the services of the Government Chemist (anything from Referee Analysis (food safety, food authenticity,advice etc.), Advice, Training materials, Publications, Events, Attendance at meetings etc.), please complete a short (10 mins max) impact evaluation survey: https://tinyurl.com/4737nv42

Thank you to all those people who have already completed the survey and thanks in advance to anyone that will complete the survey now. We really appreciate you taking the time to provide feedback.