**1. Introduction**

Honeybees play a crucial role for the well-being of the humanity: on the one hand, they have the amazing capacity to produce honey and other secondary products (pollen, propolis, royal jelly, venom and wax) and on the other hand, they provide pollination services for plants, bringing an important contribution to the agricultural activities and food production. The

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© 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, © 2017 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

bees represent a bio barometer for the preservation of the environment. In addition, their economic, cultural and religious values are very important [1].

The European Union is one of the most important honey producers of the world. Nevertheless, according to some official bodies, production levels seem to be declining [2]. Such decrease is attributable to the diminution of honeybee colonies, which is mostly related to the colony collapse disorder, but also to imports. The number of beehives, the quantity and quality of honey obtained are the main aspects evaluated at European level, to measure the impact of supporting policies.

Beekeeping—as agricultural activity—could be considered as multifunctional, because it performs several functions that contribute to society's welfare. At macro-level, beekeeping may play an essential economic role, creating a competitive advantage through innovation and improving the balance trade. This may be particularly true in some countries, rather than in others; however, even in those areas where the contribution of honeybee products to value added and trade of food product is limited, they represent an interesting alternative or complemental entrepreneurial activity. At micro-level, in fact, beekeeping creates well-being for communities, providing health products for population and decent revenues for farmers [1]. It also supports the sustainability of rural livelihoods, as, given the relatively low investment requirements, it is more easily engaged, compared to other rural and agricultural activities.

The key functions of beekeeping are: food security, environmental function, economical function and socio-cultural function. Beekeeping contributes to ensuring food security when people have physical and economic access to honey and other honeybee products or to other typical dishes that use honey as ingredient. The availability of honeybee products depends on local/national production and the capacity of import. The access to honeybee products depends on purchasing power of consumers and proximity to the markets. The food security has two main components: the quantity and the quality.

The quality of honey is one of the main aspects related to food security function of beekeeping. Three main components are usually taken into account in the case of honey quality: the organoleptic properties, the physical and chemical properties and the hygienic aspects (the latter is usually defined "food safety").

The organoleptic properties—aspect, consistency, colour, taste and smell are evaluated using the sensory analysis. This scientific method is used to establish the botanical origin of honey and its authenticity, but also to classify and define product standards. In addition, the method helps to identify the consumer preferences for different types of honey [3]. In EU countries, the evaluation of physical and chemical parameters of honey is made according to international legislation (Codex Alimentarius Standard), to European Union Directives and to National Legislation [4]. These parameters characterise the naturalness, maturity and unaffectedness of honey [5].

Unfortunately, the quality control of honey on the international market is sometimes vulnerable. According to Strayer et al. [6], the adulteration of honey could be economically motivated and influenced by several factors such as: the decrease of domestic production, lack of identity standards, scarce of analytical methods and trade policies. In the context of global market, there is a stringent need for finding solutions to limit the repercussions of the unfair practices on producers and consumers. The identification and characterisation of different types of honey via quality schemes and logos represent a protective solution that creates new opportunities for producers and consumers.

bees represent a bio barometer for the preservation of the environment. In addition, their

The European Union is one of the most important honey producers of the world. Nevertheless, according to some official bodies, production levels seem to be declining [2]. Such decrease is attributable to the diminution of honeybee colonies, which is mostly related to the colony collapse disorder, but also to imports. The number of beehives, the quantity and quality of honey obtained are the main aspects evaluated at European level, to measure the impact of

Beekeeping—as agricultural activity—could be considered as multifunctional, because it performs several functions that contribute to society's welfare. At macro-level, beekeeping may play an essential economic role, creating a competitive advantage through innovation and improving the balance trade. This may be particularly true in some countries, rather than in others; however, even in those areas where the contribution of honeybee products to value added and trade of food product is limited, they represent an interesting alternative or complemental entrepreneurial activity. At micro-level, in fact, beekeeping creates well-being for communities, providing health products for population and decent revenues for farmers [1]. It also supports the sustainability of rural livelihoods, as, given the relatively low investment requirements, it is more easily engaged, compared to other rural and agricultural activities. The key functions of beekeeping are: food security, environmental function, economical function and socio-cultural function. Beekeeping contributes to ensuring food security when people have physical and economic access to honey and other honeybee products or to other typical dishes that use honey as ingredient. The availability of honeybee products depends on local/national production and the capacity of import. The access to honeybee products depends on purchasing power of consumers and proximity to the markets. The food security

The quality of honey is one of the main aspects related to food security function of beekeeping. Three main components are usually taken into account in the case of honey quality: the organoleptic properties, the physical and chemical properties and the hygienic aspects (the

The organoleptic properties—aspect, consistency, colour, taste and smell are evaluated using the sensory analysis. This scientific method is used to establish the botanical origin of honey and its authenticity, but also to classify and define product standards. In addition, the method helps to identify the consumer preferences for different types of honey [3]. In EU countries, the evaluation of physical and chemical parameters of honey is made according to international legislation (Codex Alimentarius Standard), to European Union Directives and to National Legislation [4]. These parameters characterise the naturalness, maturity and unaffectedness of honey [5]. Unfortunately, the quality control of honey on the international market is sometimes vulnerable. According to Strayer et al. [6], the adulteration of honey could be economically motivated and influenced by several factors such as: the decrease of domestic production, lack of identity standards, scarce of analytical methods and trade policies. In the context of global market, there is a stringent need for finding solutions to limit the repercussions of the unfair

economic, cultural and religious values are very important [1].

has two main components: the quantity and the quality.

latter is usually defined "food safety").

supporting policies.

4 Honey Analysis

Even if compositional, sensory and safety characteristics of food are essential elements of food quality, they do not necessarily exhaust this feature, that goes beyond the observable characteristics of a product. In the last decades, the concept of quality in food (this applies also to honey) has enlarged from intrinsic attributes to extrinsic ones, focussing on some features of the production process such as its social and environmental impacts, animal welfare issues and the link of the food with a certain agricultural area. The latter aspect has received particular emphasis and attention in European countries. The quality recognition of honey (as for all food products) at European Union level can be achieved by obtaining two designations: Protected Designation of Origin and Protected Geographical Indication) [7]. According to Bertozzi [8] the use of geographical name for an agricultural product date from ancient times, "honey from Sicily" being a good example in this sense.

Protected Designation of Origin and Protected Geographical Indication tools, created within the Common Agricultural Policy, help beekeepers (and all farmers) to improve the marketing of honeybee products and to guarantee their authenticity and reputation. In the same time, they help consumer to have more trust they are buying high quality products that are connected to special places. Authenticity and traceability are the main aspects in the case of Protected Designation of Origin/Protected Geographical Indication recognition process [9]. The honey authenticity is linked to the specificity of the geographical area where it is produced: environmental factors (climate, soil and flora) and human factors (beekeeping knowledge and skills, traditional/innovative practices). There are several European countries where protected honeys with Protected Designation of Origin/Protected Geographical Indication status could be found: Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal and Ukraine.

Honey produced in Serbia, Romania and Italy reflects the rich diversity of melliferous plants but also the particular characteristics of regions. The quality recognition of honey is a volunteer system for beekeepers that allow valorising regional honey at European Union level. Obtaining Protected Designation of Origin and Protected Geographical Indication designation is made in compliance with European Union legislation.

In Italy, there are three types of honey with Protected Designation of Origin certification [10]: "Miele della Lunigiana", registered from 2004 [11], "Miele delle Dolomiti Bellunesi" registered from 2011 [12] and "Miele Varesino", registered, in 2014 [13]. "Miele della Lunigiana" belongs to Toscana Region (central Italy) and it is reserved for two types of honey: acacia honey and chestnut honey (one of the healthiest honeys due to its mineral content, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties). "Miele delle Dolomiti Bellunesi" is produced in the mountains of Belluno (in Veneto Region, North-East Italy) and could be found for various types: wildflower, acacia, lime, chestnut, rhododendron and dandelion. It is very appreciated not only for the floral variety, but also for other qualities such as purity, wholesomeness and lengthy shelf life. "Miele Varesino" is an acacia honey from the province of Varese (Lombardy Region, North-West Italy) with a high level of purity, due to the quality of acacia trees that grows widely in this region.

For the moment, in Serbia and Romania, there is no Protected Designation of Origin/ Protected Geographical Indication certified honey, but there is a huge potential for developing this protection in the future. In the case of Romania, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development encourages the Protected Designation of Origin/Protected Geographical Indication honey certification and support this process by using the following arguments: the increase of value added of Romanian types of honey, the rise of consumer trust in the reliability of beekeepers who take care of the quality of honey, the creation of a balance between supply and demand by maintaining the quality, the facilitation of traceability and controls and the acceleration to attracting European Union funds [14]. Such strategies implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development could significantly contribute to the development of beekeeping sector.

In the case of Serbia, there is also a huge potential for Protected Designation of Origin/ Protected Geographical Indication certification of honey and other food products. An illustrative example is "Vlasina honey". A study about the attitudes of Vlasina honey producers towards geographical indications reveals that a small part of them know about this certification system, the results indicating the need for education and information in order to familiarise beekeepers with the procedure and the advantages of Protected Designation of Origin/ Protected Geographical Indication system [15]. "Vlasina honey" is on the list of local products supported by the European Union and the Government of Switzerland to receive technical assistance for the certification procedure. The specificity of "Vlasina honey" is given by the exceptional qualities of the region: the variety of medicinal plants and the clean environment. This type of honey is unique due to its flavour and therapeutic properties. The European recognition of "Vlasina honey" will increase the competitiveness of the beekeepers' association "Matica" and will open the opportunity to sell on international markets [16].

At present, a very small quantity of honey produced in Serbia, Romania and Italy is Protected Designation of Origin/Protected Geographical Indication protected. Hence, a question arises: what other tools could be developed to measure the quality of honey produced in these three countries? The price of different types of honey could be a real barometer for evaluating the quality? Or the high demand for export of local honey demonstrates its value?

Providing a good quantitative proxy able to describe honey quality is a hard task, as such concept and perception is heterogeneous across consumers. The widely used index to approach quality attributes of a food product is its unit value (price). It is worth remembering that price differences across products may be influenced (along with preferences for quality) by other factors, for instance, production costs and disposable income of consumers; nevertheless, price remains the most available datum that may be related to product quality, even if such correlation may be variable. In the case of honey, its quality is strictly related to product differentiation: the availability of different kind of honeys enlarges the choice set of consumers, increasing their satisfaction.

The above-mentioned considerations on honey would suggest analysing and comparing price trends for a set of different kind of honey, over time and across the three countries examined. Such a comparison would allow grasping some insights on the relative quality of each honey examined, assuming some price-quality relationship. Unfortunately, this strategy cannot be followed, mainly for a matter of data availability on comparability across countries and over time: price data on differentiated honey typology are rarely accessible and even when present, they are usually not gathered by official statistical bodies and are discontinuous over time. It is then clear that for any attempt to renders the concept of quality are necessary data continuous over time that are gathered and processed with homogeneous criteria over countries.

Such characteristics are fully satisfied by trade data, which are available at a high level of detail. Unfortunately, the maximum level of disaggregation for which data on traded products are released refers to "natural honey", without any further specification about the typology or characteristic of that food item. Even if the lack of information on product differentiation represents a limitation in examining quality differences among honey typologies in each country, using trade data has many advantages.

Such positive aspects are mainly due to both the opportunity to observe trade movements knowing both the value of honey traded (imported and exported) and its quantity. From this information we can derive the unit values (prices) of exchanged honey. Knowing the volume of trade, along with average import and export prices is highly valuable information as it allows analysing trade flows using a set of indexes. Such indexes, developed within the traditional trade theory of comparative advantage, tell us, among others, to what extent the honey sector in each country is competitive in its export performances, compared to the whole export of the same country. Also this trade index, along with export and import prices, may be an indirect measure of quality of honey exchanged by the selected countries.

It is quite intuitive that the ability of a product (honey) to be demanded beyond its domestic market, overcoming trade cost and cultural barriers may be seen as a combination of factors like its perceived quality that meets preferences of foreign consumers. For the same reason measures of competitiveness in trade are related on one hand to honey quality and on the other to the efficiency of beekeepers (and of their bees) to yield a product that satisfy consumers beyond the domestic market. For this reason the rest of the chapter is focussed on such topic, with the twofold objective to provide a description, even though indirect, of both the quality of the honey traded and the competitiveness of beekeepers and honey sector in the selected countries (Serbia, Romania and Italy).

The research subject is the analysis of production and trade of honey in three European Union countries: Romania, Italy and Serbia, with a goal to consider the dynamic of supply and trade of honey and point out the problem faced by producers. The goal of the study is to give a practical implication to the results obtained, by proposing concrete measures to improve the existing situation.
