What beekeepers and consumers need to know
Lynne Ingram is a Master Beekeeper, National Diploma holder, BBKA Honey Ambassador, and Chair of the Honey Authenticity Network UK. Drawing on decades of beekeeping experience and several years of international research, she set out the scale of the problem and why it matters to beekeepers, consumers, and food security alike.
Honey fraud is not new, but it has changed.
Adulteration of honey has been recorded for centuries, but modern honey fraud bears little resemblance to the crude practices of the past. Today’s fraud is industrial, global, and technologically sophisticated. Honey may be diluted with engineered syrups designed specifically to evade laboratory tests, or produced from nectar harvested daily and mechanically dried in factories rather than ripened by bees. Pollen may be stripped out through ultra-filtration, residues removed, enzymes replaced, and markers added back in to mimic authenticity.
What emerges at the end of this process can look like honey, pour like honey, and pass outdated tests, while bearing little resemblance to the legally defined product described in UK and international regulations.
A fragile global supply chain
Modern honey passes through a long and complex international supply chain, from beekeeper to collector, blender, exporter, importer, packer, and retailer. At every stage there are opportunities for fraud, substitution, and document manipulation. Honey laundering, where honey is re-exported through third countries to disguise its origin, is well documented and ongoing.
China now produces around a quarter of the world’s honey, exporting vast quantities at prices far below the cost of production seen elsewhere. The UK is the third largest importer of honey globally, bringing in around 60,000 tonnes a year, with the majority originating from China. At such volumes and prices, scrutiny becomes difficult and the incentive to cut corners is immense.
What the testing reveals
One of the most sobering moments in Lynne’s journey came at Apimondia in Montreal in 2019, where nearly half of the honey entered into the World Beekeeping Awards failed laboratory authenticity tests. Since then, coordinated studies across Europe have found that around 45% of honey samples entering the EU show markers for added sugar syrups.
In the UK, independent studies and government-commissioned analyses have repeatedly raised concerns about cheap, blended supermarket honeys. Many pass older C3 and C4 sugar tests developed decades ago but fail more modern profiling methods such as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and emerging DNA-based techniques. The science is advancing rapidly, but fraud adapts just as fast.
The uncomfortable reality is that there is no single test that can definitively declare honey authentic. Robust conclusions require multiple methods, careful traceability, and expert interpretation.
Why this matters
Honey fraud undermines beekeepers worldwide. Genuine producers cannot compete with artificially cheap imports, driving many out of business. For larger commercial beekeepers, this has knock-on effects on pollination services and crop production. For consumers, it erodes trust and removes informed choice. Many people believe they are buying honey when, legally and biologically, they may not be.
It also matters because honey is not just a sweetener. It is a product tied to pollinators, ecosystems, and food resilience. Undermining its value has consequences far beyond the jar.
What is being done, and what still needs to change
The EU has begun to respond, strengthening its Honey Directive to require clearer country-of-origin labelling and improved testing harmonisation. Countries of origin will soon have to be listed in descending order, with percentages declared for major components. However, these protections no longer automatically apply in Great Britain, creating uncertainty and loopholes.
The Honey Authenticity Network UK, founded in 2021, is working to raise awareness, support better science, and press for clearer regulation. Apimondia has issued strong statements on honey fraud and immature, mechanically dried honey. Researchers across Europe, Asia, and Australia are developing new analytical tools. Progress is being made, but slowly.
What can be done locally
Lynne ended her talk with a clear call to action. Celebrate real honey. Buy British honey directly from beekeepers. Read labels carefully and be cautious of vague descriptions such as “a blend of EU and non-EU honeys”. Support transparency, ask questions, and engage MPs on food authenticity and labelling.
Most importantly, keep telling the story of real honey. Its diversity, its link to landscape, and its value cannot be captured by the cheapest jar on a supermarket shelf.
Honey is made by bees. Protecting its integrity protects them too.