An EU investigation has shown that almost half of the honey imported into the EU may be “adulterated” and about 60% may be contaminated with foreign sugars. Of the products tested as part of the investigation, 46% did not comply with the Honey Directive, the EU legislation that defines what can be labeled as honey, just-food reports.
EU law requires that nothing can be added to honey. But it was found that packers “adulterate” it by diluting or mixing it with sugar syrup to make the product cheaper and ensure the consistency of flavor profiles.
The analysis also found that additives and colors were added and pollen was removed to make the source of the honey harder to detect.
Cindy Adolph, the policy advisor at the European NGO BeeLife and the European Professional Beekeepers Association (EPBA), told Just Food that the results are not surprising.
A sugar-syrup mixture, not honey
“The market is really bad. In the UK, for example, it’s no secret that supermarket shelves are not filled with honey, but with a sugar-syrup mixture. I think that professional beekeepers were not surprised [by the figures]. It is known that something is wrong with the honey market, and beekeepers have been saying this for ten years. But now we have proof. Now we need a solution – we need full transparency, clear labeling of the origin of blended honey, and standardized analytical methods – modern methods, not outdated ones.”
The investigation involved 44 EU market operators, and seven were sanctioned after 320 samples were tested by EU medical and scientific agencies and the European Anti-Fraud Office.
The largest number of suspicious batches during the testing came from China (74%), although proportionally the largest amount of honey originated from Turkey – 93%.
Honey imported into the UK was found to be 100% “suspect”, but the report states that this is “likely the result of honey produced in other countries and subsequently blended in the UK before being re-exported to the EU”.
The report says that there is a “strong suspicion” that a “significant proportion” of the allegedly adulterated honey goes undetected on the EU market.
Food industry operators were urged to comply with honey regulations at all stages of production, processing and distribution. It is expected that increased controls in the market and at EU borders, as well as updated investigation methods, could help reduce the entry of counterfeit honey into the market.
Adolf noted that some packers are taking advantage of the high market demand for honey and its image as a healthy product.
European beekeepers are struggling
“People use the good image of bees and honey. So there is a market opportunity. If you mix about 1 euro (1.07 US dollars) with the product, you make more money. But it’s not fair, it’s fraud. It’s crazy because, at least in France, there is no market. No one is buying honey yet. Professional beekeepers cannot sell their products because international buyers can get them at a lower price. In Europe, the cost of production for beekeepers has increased dramatically. European professional beekeepers are struggling – if not dying – in Spain, Hungary, France, etc.”
The report also notes limitations in the authentication methods used to determine the authenticity of honey, saying they “lag behind and lack sufficient sensitivity.” Thus, fraudsters adapt the level of adulteration of foreign sugars in honey to this analytical capability.
The expert added that “beekeepers across Europe are demanding the standardization of new methods” to help fight counterfeiting. She explained that the syrups used to mix with honey are becoming more sophisticated and harder to find. Laboratories and some packers now have methods to find them, but they are not yet standardized.
Source: Landlord