From the supermarket, it might not be what you think...

Exploring Honey Adulteration

The Beekeepers of the Lincolnshire Wolds are keen to explore information and data, which is openly available about the adulteration of honey. The information detailed here on this page is not research taken out by the Beekeepers of the Lincolnshire Wolds but information gathered by us from other sources.

It is widely considered that honey is one of the most adulterated products in our supermarkets. Honey that is extracted from a beehive without any additional ingredients and without mass manipulation (i.e. has only been filtered to remove non honey substances) is a product with great health benefits. Honey that has been adulterated does not have the same health benefits and in fact could contain cheap sugar syrup, which can, in large quantities cause harm.

The European Commission undertook an investigation throughout Europe; in the UK honey all samples that were tested failed, having been blended with some form of sugar syrup. This will not necessarily mean that the products are considered to be a risk to food safety. It has also been noted by government officials that no single test can establish honey’s authenticity, though the comprehension of the European Commision test and the support of the Joint Research Centre may say otherwise. Honey in Europe, going forward is likely to become less adulterated due to the European Commission pushing for with their investigations and highlighting the issue. The challenge in the UK is that it is no longer in the EU it is no longer a part of the EU Food Fraud Network.

The report by the Joint Research Centre noted that honey imported from the UK has a 100% suspicion rate. The UK in fact imports the majority of honey from China, where there is a high risk of honey being adulterated with sugar syrup and sadly the country of origin for blended honey is not at this point required for labeling.

With this in mind there are various questions, one being, do people mind that the products they are purchasing in supermarkets may not be what they state.

Reasons to buy local Lincolnshire Wolds honey

• You will be getting actual honey, which has health benefits and not a sugar syrup/honey concoction
  

• Purchasing local honey, will have a positive impact on the local environment, as the local bee population are massively responsible for the local crop, flower and tree pollination
  

• The carbon footprint of buying locally is far smaller than it is to buy from a supermarket
  
  
  

Honey Adulteration