The competitiveness of the European beekeeping sector is progressively falling due to the reduction of beekeepers’ production as a direct consequence of decrease in bee population, implying lower economies of scale, underutilized resources and higher relative production costs. In addition, beekeeping products produced in countries with much lower quality standards, even sometimes adulterated with substitutes and complemented with sweetening products, are gaining market share in Europe through an unfair competition. In addition, there is a current lack of standards at European (and international) level for certain bee products like pollen and royal jelly.

This means that it is possible to find in the market products under these labels without any control of quality and authenticity, and the risks it may imply for both the consumer and the SMEs of the sector. Few countries in Europe have some guidelines or regional standards for other products than honey, but broad standardization is missing. Therefore, the objectives of this project are threefold: (a) To develop European standards for bee pollen and royal jelly (b) Establishment of the health relevant criteria for pollen and royal jelly (c).

The development of an unerring methodology for the determination of pollen and honey origin authenticity Claims made by several European Associations of beekeepers about the lack of quality controls in both marketed pollen and royal jelly for human consumption give rise to the developing of such standards.

The standards and methodologies that will be developed in this project could lay the foundations of future European regulations. Research and development activities will include analytical methods to determine sensory properties, microbiologic load and chemical composition of mentioned products and methods of melissopalynology.