Bee pollen is flower pollen that foraging bees have packed into granules with nectar and hive secretions. It is collected either by a trap at the hive entrance, which scrapes granules from the returning bee, or from mats and trays, which yields cleaner material at lower volume and a higher price.
The specification has four pillars.
Collection method. Trap or mat. It is a genuine quality and price differentiator and it belongs in the contract, because the two products do not look or test the same.
Drying. Fresh pollen is high in moisture and ferments quickly. It is either frozen or dried, and drying temperature is the critical parameter: too hot and the heat-labile fraction that justifies the price is destroyed, too cool and the moisture target is missed. Specify moisture with the method named and water activity alongside it, because moisture alone does not predict stability on this matrix.
Microbiology. Pollen is a raw agricultural material collected by insects from an open environment. It is not sterile and it will not test sterile. A realistic specification states tolerances against the criteria framework in Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 rather than writing absent, and it distinguishes clearly between a product intended for direct consumption and one going into a process with a kill step.
Botanical spectrum. Pollen composition varies by location and season, and the spectrum affects both colour and the nutritional profile. A narrowed spectrum is a different botanical mix rather than necessarily a worse one – but it should be declared rather than discovered.
Two compliance points. Contaminant levels in Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 apply, and pollen concentrates environmental exposure. And pollen is a recognised allergen risk for sensitised individuals, which makes the consumer-facing declaration under Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 a matter for the brand owner to settle explicitly rather than by default.