In recent years, counterfeit honey has appeared on the European market, and the figures are alarming. A recent inspection by the consumer association Active Consumers revealed that 5 out of 10 tested honey brands failed to meet basic quality standards. These include:
Water content: must be less than 20%
Electrical conductivity: must not exceed 0.8 mS/cm
Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF): no more than 40 mg/kg
Diastase activity: at least 8 Göte units
Proline content: no less than 180 mg/kg
Counterfeit honey floods the market: how to recognize the real thing
How is honey counterfeited?
There are two common methods of honey adulteration:
Next »»Dilution with glucose-fructose syrup: this increases the volume and reduces production costs.
Premature harvesting: Removing honey from the hive too early speeds up production, but results in a higher water content and lower quality.
In both cases, what ends up on store shelves doesn’t meet the standards of natural honey.
Can you spot fake honey at home?
We consulted the internet to find the most popular honey authenticity tests. Here are our results and their reliability:
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Next🐜 3. Ants avoid real honey
Claim: Ants don’t touch pure honey.
Reality: Also false. Ants love sugar, and honey (real or fake) is full of it. Bees don’t produce any chemicals that repel ants.
💧 4. Density and Solubility
Claim: Real honey is thick, dissolves slowly in water, and forms an air bubble that moves slowly when turned over.
Reality: Sometimes true. These indicators help suggest water content, but again, the type of honey matters. Some are naturally more liquid.
