Background. The aim of the article was to critically assess the validity of using an organoleptic evaluation as a criterion for official decisions in the control of the commercial quality of honey in Poland, with particular emphasis on the criterion of “taste characteristic of the variety”. The study included an analysis of scientific literature, as well as national and European Union regulations and Codex Alimentarius documents relating to the quality, authenticity and official evaluation of honey.
Results and conclusions. It was shown that an organoleptic evaluation is of considerable practical importance because it enables the identification of defects and the preliminary differentiation of batches; however, its usefulness for decision-making is limited by the natural variability of honey, the influence of botanical and geographical origin and the lack of unambiguous standards of varietal typicality. Particular difficulties concern the use of descriptive and insufficiently defined criteria, which may lead to divergent assessments of the same batch and increase the risk of incorrect administrative decisions. The analysis also showed that EU regulations and Codex Alimentarius refer taste and aroma characteristics mainly to the identification of defects rather than to a positive standard of varietal typicality. In disputed cases, it is therefore necessary to include physicochemical and instrumental analyses as a confirmatory stage. A twostage model was proposed in which an organoleptic evaluation serves as a screening step, whereas the final decision is based on the overall body of evidence, including analytical results and origin documentation. Adopting such a model may improve the predictability of actions, reduce the risk of incorrect decisions and enhance the coherence of the official control system for honey.