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Honey is one of the most beneficial natural products for our organism, due to all the nutrients it contains. That is, as long as it is 100% natural honey. A recent investigation, led by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and the Joint Research Centre (JRC), has revealed that 46% of imported honey samples – randomly analysed between November 2021 and February 2022 – are part of a massive fraud, as they were adulterated with sugar syrups made from rice, wheat or sugar beet.
European regulations are supposed to prohibit the addition of any substance. But judging from the samples analysed, it could be argued that almost half of the honey imported into Europe is “fake”.
Most of the imported honey comes from China
Any addition to honey is prohibited by European regulations. As 46% of the samples analysed were fraudulent, it can be said that a significant proportion of the honey consumed in Europe is fake. And Europe is the world’s second largest importer of honey with 175K of honey per year, according to Le Monde newspaper. As for the origin of the honey arriving in Europe, most of this adulterated honey is said to come from China (74%), and to a lesser extent from Turkey.
The study investigating honey also found that “a large proportion of honey imported from non-EU countries and suspected by the JRC to be adulterated is still present and undetected on the EU market”. One of the main determinants of whether it is 100% honey or not is to carefully read the labelling and, above all, the price, as this adulterated honey is often imported at a low price. Another factor to take into account is to check whether the honey you have tends to solidify. Even if it is liquid, pure honey tends to crystallise. Also, a trick you can do to find out for sure is to put a teaspoon of honey in water. If it dissolves in water, it is not pure.
Various media and associations that have reported on this problem agree that the European market is an easy target for smuggling this type of adulterated products. In fact, according to the newspaper L’essentiel, “out of 123 honey exporters to Europe, 70 are suspected of having adulterated their products, and out of 95 European importers checked, two thirds are affected by at least one suspicious batch”.
It is not only adulterated with sugars
The main adulteration of honey relates to the fraudulent addition of sugar syrups, but this report also pointed to the presence of other additives and colourings, including falsification of traceable information. “Honey contains naturally occurring sugars and, according to EU legislation, it must remain pure. There can be no water or cheap sugar syrups artificially added to increase the volume”, OLAF explains.
The Coordinadora de Organizaciones de Agricultores y Ganaderos (COAG) has asked the government, the autonomous communities and the European Union to react “forcefully” to the fraud of honey imports, demanding the “immediate withdrawal” of adulterated products, as reported in a statement.
They have called for new control measures to be imposed on honey imports received in Spain, replicating the investigation techniques used for the European Commission study and creating a European Reference Centre for Honey to protect consumers and beekeepers from fraud. Finally, COAG has asked consumers to try to buy directly from beekeepers or through short marketing channels, as it believes that this “is the best guarantee of authenticity and quality of honey”. He urged responsible purchasing to generate employment and greater economic activity in our rural areas. He has also made available a list of dozens of professional beekeepers in Spain who offer direct sales.