Honey fraud is an issue that affects both consumers and producers. Consumers are misled to believe that what they are purchasing is 100% pure honey, while producers are unable to compete with the low costs at which the adulterated honey is being offered. When asked about the country of origin of these suspiciously priced honey products, several companies responded that “the honey can be traced back to the beekeeper”, without providing further details. Many of these products are listed as being a “blend” of honeys from a variety of locations, which may or may not include countries that are suspected of being repeat offenders when it comes to honey adulteration.
The addition of cheaper sugar syrups, such as rice syrup, sucrose syrup, high-fructose corn syrup is one of the most common methods of honey adulteration. Some factories in China even market “test-proof” sugar syrups to be mixed with honey that can pass the most common food tests.
Many British beekeepers and consumers alike are growing frustrated with the lack of action by authorities to protect their markets from adulterated honey. Read More.
