The Buzz on Honey Fraud: Protecting Authentic Honey in the UK

Honey has been a treasured natural sweetener for millennia. Honey fraud has been an issue for most of that time, but in recent years, honey fraud has become a major concern in the UK and worldwide. As the demand for honey rises, so do deceptive practices that threaten both consumers and ethical beekeepers. Honey fraud refers to the misrepresentation of honey through adulteration, mislabeling, and substitution. This post dives into how honey fraud occurs, why it matters, and how you can protect yourself while supporting local, genuine honey producers.

What Is Honey Fraud?


Honey fraud involves any process that compromises the purity, quality, or origin of honey to mislead consumers and boost profits. Common forms of honey fraud include:

  • Adulteration: Mixing real honey with cheap syrups (like rice, corn, or beet syrup) to reduce costs. These syrups mimic the appearance and taste of honey, but they lack honey’s nutritional benefits.
  • Mislabelling: Marketing honey as being from a certain country, region, or floral source when it isn’t. “Country of origin” fraud is particularly problematic, as it can lead consumers to think they’re buying British honey when it may actually come from overseas.
  • Substitution: Selling honey-flavoured syrup as honey or blending low-quality honey with high-quality honey to increase the volume.

Why Honey Fraud Is a Problem

  1. Impact on Consumers: Fake or adulterated honey lacks the health benefits and quality of pure honey. People consuming these products miss out on the natural antioxidants, enzymes, and trace vitamins and minerals that come in genuine honey.
  2. Harm to Ethical Beekeepers: Honey fraud undermines hardworking beekeepers who dedicate themselves to producing pure, natural honey. For UK beekeepers, honey fraud often means unfair competition with low-priced, imported honey that may not meet the same standards.
  3. Environmental Concerns: Supporting local honey supports biodiversity, as beekeepers play a vital role in maintaining bee populations. When people unknowingly buy fraudulent honey, it takes support away from ethical, eco-friendly beekeepers and their bees.
  4. Threat to Honey’s Cultural Value: High-quality honey varieties, like the UK’s renowned borage or heather honey, have distinct flavours, nutritional qualities, and seasonal ties. Honey fraud threatens these unique honeys’ integrity and the traditions surrounding them.

How to Identify Authentic Honey


While it can be challenging to tell real honey from fake, there are a few ways consumers can improve their chances of buying genuine honey:

  • Check for Traceable Labels: Look for local honey with clear labeling, such as the name of the beekeeper, apiary location, or batch numbers.
  • Support Local Beekeepers: Buying directly from beekeepers is one of the best ways to ensure authenticity. Farmers’ markets, local shops, or online stores run by beekeepers themselves are good options.
  • Learn about Honey Sensory Analysis: Honey tasting, a skill that trained experts use to detect flavour notes, can be an indicator of quality. In the UK, the Honey Guild has started sensory analysis training to support and protect UK honey producers. Learning the nuances of flavour and texture can help you appreciate the unique qualities of authentic honey.

A recent Guardian article and investigations by the CleanUpTheHoneyMarket project have highlighted issues with honey authenticity in the UK. Honey fraud is a growing problem.

The Guardian reported that tests revealed alarming results: every sample of imported honey in the UK that was tested, failed authenticity standards. This suggests the widespread presence of adulterated or mislabeled honey in UK shops. This issue goes beyond individual brands, raising questions about the regulation of imported honey in the UK.

The YouTube channel CleanUpTheHoneyMarket has released a film that dives deeper into this fraud, exposing how certain brands exploit the lack of rigorous testing to sell honey that isn’t pure. Even more alarming was that the fraudsters have a special “UK grade” of “honey” that is lower than the rest of Europe because the testing of honey imported to the UK isn’t as rigorous as other countries.

If you’d like to get hold of some genuine honey, then take a look in our shop!

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