Does honey expire? Best-before dates on NZ honey, explained
Does honey expire?
Not in the way most food does. Sealed, dry honey does not grow bacteria or mould, so it stays safe to eat for years and the date on a New Zealand jar is a best-before (quality) date, never a use-by. Over time it darkens and loses aroma, and if it takes up water it can ferment.
Why honey keeps when other food goes off
Honey is mostly sugar with very little water, around 17–18% in a typical New Zealand honey. That is too dry for bacteria, yeasts and moulds to grow, and honey is also acidic. Bees evaporate nectar down to that level before they cap the comb, and a sealed jar keeps it there. Nothing in the jar is alive to spoil it.
Why is there a date on the jar, then?
Because packers choose to put one there. Under Standard 1.2.5 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, a use-by date is only for food that becomes unsafe after a set time, and food with a shelf life of two years or more does not need a best-before date at all. Most honey brands print one anyway, usually a couple of years after packing, as a promise about flavour and texture rather than safety.
| Date mark | What it means | Applies to honey? |
|---|---|---|
| Use-by | Do not eat after this date, for health or safety reasons | No |
| Best-before | Still safe after the date; quality may have dropped | Yes, when printed |
| No date | Allowed for food that keeps two years or longer | Yes, legally |
Source: Food Standards Australia New Zealand, Standard 1.2.5 date marking (foodstandards.gov.au), checked 28 October 2026.
What actually changes as honey ages
- Colour: it darkens slowly, faster in a warm spot. A pale clover can turn amber over a few years.
- Flavour: the floral aroma fades and a caramel note creeps in. Single-source honeys lose the most, because the aroma is what you paid for.
- Texture: most honey sets hard and grainy. That is crystallisation, not spoilage, and gentle warmth reverses it.
Producers track freshness and heat damage with a compound called HMF, which builds up slowly with age and quickly with heat. The international Codex honey standard caps it at 40 mg/kg for honey in temperate countries like New Zealand. It is a quality measure; you cannot taste it at that level.
How to tell if honey has gone bad
- A sour, yeasty or beery smell.
- Foam on top, or bubbles that keep rising through runny honey.
- A thin, watery layer separating on the surface.
- Visible mould. Rare, and usually on a jar that had water or food crumbs put into it.
All of these come from water getting in: a wet spoon, a lid left off in a humid kitchen, or a honey that was taken from the hive before it was dry enough. The Codex standard sets a 20% moisture ceiling for most honey for exactly this reason. A fine white froth on top of creamed or set honey is just air, and is not a fault.
What to do with an old jar
- Smells like honey and looks like honey: eat it. If it has set, stand the jar in hand-hot water to bring it back.
- Darker and duller than you remember: use it for baking, marinades or sweetening drinks, where heat flattens the flavour anyway.
- Smells fermented, is foaming, or has mould: throw it out.
- To make the next jar last, see how to store honey: sealed, dry, room temperature, never the fridge.
Is it okay to eat honey past its best-before date?
Yes, if it still looks and smells like honey. A best-before date on New Zealand honey is about quality, not safety, so a jar a year or two past it is normally fine to eat. Expect it to be darker and less fragrant, and possibly set hard. Throw it out only if it smells sour or fermented, foams, or shows mould.
Can you eat 10-year-old honey?
Usually, yes. Honey that has stayed sealed and dry does not grow bacteria or mould, so age alone does not make it unsafe. After ten years it will be darker, have lost most of its aroma and probably crystallised, so it is better for baking than for toast. Check for a sour smell, foam or mould first.
Does honey really last 3,000 years?
The story of edible honey found in ancient Egyptian tombs is often repeated, and it illustrates something true: honey that stays sealed and dry has nothing living in it to spoil it. Whether a very old honey tastes good is a different question. Colour and flavour keep changing for as long as it sits.
How long does an opened jar of honey last?
Years, as long as the lid goes back on and nothing wet goes in. Opening a jar does not start a countdown the way it does for jam or sauces. The risk is moisture: a wet spoon or an open lid in a humid kitchen can let honey take up enough water to ferment. Use a dry spoon and keep it in a cupboard.
Can babies have honey?
No. Honey should not be given to babies under 12 months old, which is standard food-safety advice in New Zealand. It has nothing to do with the honey's age or quality; it applies to every honey, fresh or old, raw or pasteurised.
More guides
- Why honey goes hard, and how to bring it back
- Raw honey in New Zealand: what it means, where to buy it, what it costs
- How to read a New Zealand honey label
- How to store honey (and why it doesn't go off)
- Buying honey direct from a New Zealand beekeeper
- Clover, multifloral and liquid honey: what's the difference?
- Coromandel honey: what the bees work on the peninsula, and how to buy it
- The best honey in New Zealand, by what you want it for
- How much honey costs in New Zealand
- Creamed honey vs runny honey: what the difference actually is
- New Zealand honey by region: what each part of the country produces