Indigenous Australians have prized native stingless bee honey for food and medicine for tens of thousands of years. Now, consumers can buy it legally at the steep price of $500/kg.

Until late last month, beekeepers who sold the rare native honey, which retails for up to $500 per kilogram, were operating in a grey area and did not have the law on their side.

On July 22, it finally gained Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) approval.

“Originally our honey didn’t meet the current standard that was written for honey bee honey. It was more watery, the pH was different,” committee chair Dean Haley said.