How can you tell you’re buying ‘real’ honey?

There are some ingredients shoppers naturally pop into their baskets on a regular basis. Milk, bread, flour, sugar, eggs…honey. The basics. They’re products most consumers will buy almost without a second thought.

But the way we shop is changing. The British public are becoming ever more concerned about not only the quality, but the provenance of their food and drink. This has been demonstrated most recently by the outrage over Arla’s plans to introduce the supplement Bovaer into a selected number of farms.

And by what’s been billed by some as ‘the great honey scandal’.

In case you missed the major headlines, an investigation into the honey industry revealed every single sample taken in the UK failed to meet authenticity criteria, having been bulked out with cheap sugar syrups.

With no formal or standardised regulation for the industry, the news (revisited by media in late 2024) left consumers, and retailers, feeling duped.

But it has created a buzz in the world of ‘real’ honey, with beekeepers, beekeeping organisations, and artisan honey brands shouting from the rooftops about the sweeter side of the breakfast staple…to an audience that’s now more engaged than ever.

These are brands, often, that have spawned from owners discovering for themselves the dark truths behind mass produced honey. Brands that put the environment and bees first, delivering single origin, unpasteurised, lab tested products customers can trust.

What is the ‘great honey scandal’?

Lynne Ingram, chair of the Honey Authenticity Network UK, and honey ambassador for the British Beekeepers Association, says the adulteration of honey goes far beyond Britain. It’s a global issue. “All over the world the genuine, real honey market is being saturated by very very cheap honey coming from a few particular countries. Here, we import about 52,000 tonnes of honey a year, and of that 39,000 tonnes is from China. That’s 77% - an increase of 3% on last year.”

China, Lynne explains, spent a long time exporting honey to America, but with hefty tariffs introduced, the country looked to Britain, which is now one of the leading importers of Chinese honey. It’s what most of us will take home if we buy a jar from the local supermarket, often without realising.

“You’ll find very little, if any, British honey in most shops,” Lynne adds. “Everything is imported and blended. You probably won’t be able to tell where it’s from. It will say ‘a blend of honey from non-EU countries’ on the label. And the prices are so cheap. No real beekeeper producing real honey anywhere could make it for the prices we’re seeing. Consumers are constantly being deceived into buying something that says ‘pure’ and ‘natural’ when it’s anything but!”

Chinese honey, she adds “fails test after test for authenticity”, having been blended with syrups and undergone any number of other processes.

Lynne points to the From the Hives initiative, organised by the European Commission in 2021 to test honey imported in to Europe. Nearly 20 countries took part, with 46% of consignments confirmed to not be compliant with the European Honey Directive. The highest number of suspicious consignments originated from China (74%), Turkey had the highest relative proportion of suspicious samples (93%) and honey samples from the UK failed tests in all cases.

Testing showed more than half (57%) of operators had exported honey suspected to contained added sugars, and more than 60% of operators had imported at least one suspicious consignment.

The findings led to, to date, more than 40 operators being investigated, and seven sanctioned.

“It’s so disappointing to think about this from a consumer point of view,” continues Lynne. “Honey is a rural thing. It’s known to have lots of health-giving properties. We know many people take honey for this reason, but they’re not getting the real thing.”

As well as adding syrups to honey, Stelios Stylianou, managing direct of Mellona – an all-natural raw honey and honey spread brand based in Cyprus – says “a more subtle form occurs when bees themselves are fed sugary syrups because all their honey - their natural food – is taken away to be sold. This practice is particularly harmful when it happens during the honey production period.”

Oussama Azzam, co-founder of Malik’s Honey, says he’s concerned the mass importing to Britain of subpar blended honey has “devalued the market”. 

“When we sell a jar for £8, that’s because the bees are being looked after, the environment’s being looked after, and we’re paying the beekeeper correctly. That’s how much it should be. We’re up against brands which being a bit cheeky in their marketing, writing things like ‘pure’ on the label, and it’s down to us to explain to customers why our honey is more expensive, and why it’s worth it.”

Cassie Payne, CEO of Local Honey Man, says this is an issue impacting dozens of artisan honey producers across Britain. “People really do go on price point, and that’s a conversation we have to have with them. They’ll see a cheap jar for £2, then come to us and say, ‘why is it so much more, you’re charging extortionate prices?’. We have to educate them about what goes into the honey they usually buy.”

Paul Webb, co-founder of Black Bee Honey says when they started out in 2012 they were confused at how honey could be sitting on supermarket shelves at what they considered rock bottom prices. “Especially when it’s been shipped half way across the world. Understanding the work from the bee, and the honey process, it takes months and months to produce and is an incredibly special product. It’s impossible, even if you’re working with countries where the economies are less developed, to sell true honey at those low prices. It didn’t make sense to us, and we knew something was wrong, then more and more information came out about what’s been going on.”

Black Bee Honey has been in touch with MPs and is working with Lynne to try to put some weight behind an argument for improving regulation around honey in the UK. “The monitoring at the moment is a joke, I feel,” he adds. “The big packers are pretty much writing the honey regulations which suits their processes, and makes it impossible for companies like ours to be competitive, operating in an adulterated market.”

What needs to change in the honey market?

“We, along with everyone else, want to see more British honey promoted,” says Lynne. “A couple of supermarkets are doing some things around this, but there still isn’t enough consumer awareness. They don’t know what blends are or what blending honey means. This type of honey has been created to taste the same and have the same consistency so people know it, and come back for it again and again, whereas real honey, even from the same hive, will be different throughout the year, reflecting what’s growing, and the flowers the bees visit. The word terroir, with wine, is exactly the same for honey, but British consumers aren’t seeing that unless they buy from a small producer.”

According to Lynne, Trading Standards was keen at one point to discuss regulating the honey market and the wording that can and can’t be used on labelling, which led to the word ‘raw’ being ousted, to the detriment of non-industrial beekeeping operations.

“But one company appealed against it, had a notice from Trading Standards and won their case. That was a very interesting judgement to read. What they did was compare their honey to highly processed honey to show the difference. I think that will have a real impact.”

She continues, “Following the From the Hives project, the European Commission came up with the Honey Directive which became law last year, and now in Europe you aren’t allowed to put a ‘blend of non-EU honey’ on the jar, you have to list all the countries on the label, and the top four have to give percentages. We have the option to join in with that and align ourselves with Europe where they’re already leading the way for a globally agreed set of tests for honey.”

Have sales of raw British honey gone up as a result of shopper concerns?

Anecdotally, yes. Paul says he really has noticed the last few months have been good. “And in December we did Bath Christmas Market. It’s the first one I’ve done where people have approached me and started talking to me about what’s going on. I think that information is finally seeping through which, for us, is amazing.”

“People are definitely becoming more aware of the difference between raw honey and the more familiar honey they see every day in the shops,” adds Cassie. “But they still don’t really know much about the added sugars. The thing we are noticing is more people buying our honey because it’s healthier.”

What makes honey ethical?

The careful management of, and care for, bees is very important, says Lynne, who adds that any beekeeper worth their salt will naturally be protective of their hives – another reason to support British honey producers.

“There’s been a lot of talk in the vegan community about taking honey away from the bees, but we say, if you let the bees ‘get on with it’, they’ll make honey anyway.”

Bees produce more honey than they need to survive, and there’s always an excess, Lynne explains. “The average hive needs about 40lbs in store for winter but easily produces 100lbs or more. If you leave it with them they won’t eat it. Beekeepers doing things the proper way will only take away this excess, not what the bees need to survive.”

What’s the difference between raw and standard honey?

“There’s a magic to raw honey,” says Oussama. “If you try it there will be more nuance there, not just an overly sweet, sugar-syrup taste. Real raw honey will have lots of lovely floral notes.”

Speaking from a more technical perspective, Lynne admits there’s no legal definition, but that it’s generally interpreted as honey that is taken directly from the hives and spun. Honey that isn’t raw (almost all of what’s in large retailers) might be pasteurised or have its temperature raised to ensure a long shelf life. “But that takes out all the wonderful natural enzymes and properties from the honey. Raw honey will set quicker, but for me that’s a sign of a good honey.

What are the health benefits of raw honey?

Honey has been used for Millennia in ancient medicine and as a natural healer and wellbeing tonic.

An obvious use practically everyone will have heard of is the old adage of helping a cough or cold with a warm mug of honey and lemon. This was backed up in 2018 by guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and Public Health England (PHE), which said there was some limited evidence honey can help ease cough symptoms.

“Honey is antimicrobial and antiviral, and it draws fluid out,” adds Lynne. The NHS uses honey dressing for things like ulcers and also burns, to allow the wounds to heal better. 

Honey is super impressive and is used all over the world for its amazing properties.

As well as being an ancient healing remedy, honey is reported to have high levels of antioxidants and vitamins, benefits for digestion, and some say helps with cognition, with a neuroprotective effect on the brain.

There’s also a lot of talk around honey as a preventative approach to hay fever, but the message has become muddied along the way, Oussama explains. “There’s this debate around hay fever season where people think raw honey from their local area will help them. But all raw honey can be helpful for hay fever. It’s more to do with the enzymes and natural properties of the honey than where it’s from.”

Which honey is healthiest?

For a long time Manuka honey, derived from hives where bees have fed from the Manuka bushes (largely in New Zealand) has been heralded as one of nature’s great superfoods – with a price to match.

Typically the beneficial properties of Manuka honey are measured by the term Total Activity or TA. The higher the TA score, the greater the antimicrobial and antifungal clout of the honey. Most raw honey possesses some activity level, but it’s those with a level of 10 or more that hit the headlines. The majority of mainstream Manuka honey brands come in with a TA of somewhere between 10 and 20.

But…there’s a British alternative. If you want to offer raw honey with even more oomph, look out for varieties labelled as Ling Heather. Though it’s often costly for makers to have batches lab tested (and they don’t have the marketing clout of the Manuka industry behind them), results are showing many Ling Heather honeys contain a TA level of around 10.

Does raw honey taste different?

In a nutshell, yes. One of the most delightful properties of raw honey is every batch’s unique flavour profile, informed by what the busy honeybees have been foraging on that season.

Raw honey can be floral, savoury, herbal…even a touch salty.

In fact, one of Paul’s bestselling varieties is Seaside Honey. “Steve’s bees forage on sea lavender growing on salt marshes on the North Norfolk coast,” Paul begins. “That gives the honey this incredible salinity and almost salted caramel flavour. It’s really mindblowing, the whole story. It’s just a beautiful honey.

“We’ve also got Orchard Honey. That’s quite hard to find, with the bees living around apple and pear trees or cherry trees. Our British Winter Honey is really quite unusual too, from our apiaries at Salisbury Plain. They forage on ivy, and the honey is a bit crumbly, like hard fudge, with an almost menthol flavour coming through from the nectar and pollen. It’s really amazing the variety of extremes in taste. People assume we’re putting stuff in the honey, but it’s all natural.”

Oussama says Malik’s Honey changes dramatically depending on where it’s gathered in Britain. “Some might have a hint of borage. The Cotswold one will be very different to one from the Midlands which has got a bit of a twang and real depth, and others are sweet to start off with followed by some bitterness. Ours are some of the only mono floral honeys you can get in the UK.”

“Our Golden Honey is the most popular out of all our range,” says Cassie. “You really do get that floral essence coming through and the colour and consistency changes throughout the year. That’s always a big hit with customers because they like the fact they can see we haven’t done anything to it like heated it to make it runny.”

Infused raw honeys are becoming big hitters too, with Local Honey Man bringing something very different to the market, continues Cassie. “Our Egyptian Black Seed Infused Honey is amazing. We get black seeds (Nigella seeds) grind them down and infuse them into the honey. It turns a green colour and has this savoury/sweet taste. We did that because black seed is quite a big superfood, a powerhouse. A customer came in and spoke to Curtis (Local Honey Man’s founder) and asked if we sold it and that sent us on the journey.”

What does bee pollen taste like?

Bee pollen has become a real ‘it’ ingredient in fine dining restaurants and upmarket bakeries, and it’s filtering into the home baking and health sectors too. More cooks are wanting to ‘pretty up’ their cakes with a scattering of the little golden orbs, and those thinking about their wellbeing are attracted to the boost of extra nutrients bee pollen can bring to their dishes. Bee pollen is naturally high in protein too.

As for the taste – it’s a touch sweet, grassy, haylike and sometimes floral. If you’ve got a section in store for rare, interesting ingredients you might want to try it out.

Why should retailers spend time seeking out raw honey producers?

For Paul, aside from the fact the products are better for consumers, he feels retailers should be supporting British beekeepers because it’s an ethical, more sustainable thing to do. British honey hasn’t racked up loads of air miles (and a substantial carbon footprint) and its production supports the growth of pollinating plants, which in turn benefit the natural environment.

“Any business owner, I think, has an ethical responsibility to buy products as sustainably as they can, to try and make a positive impact. You can’t just choose stuff because it’s cheap. Cheap food has a cost somewhere.”

Artisan retailers’ mantra to be different and to offer something shoppers can’t readily find elsewhere should extend to essentials such as honey, says Lynne, who adds that raw honey leans into consumers’ ongoing desire to reach out for more natural, healthier foods. “People are very much looking for things that aren’t ultra processed, and they want to know what they’re eating. Also, if we don’t support British farmers and beekeepers they’ll go out of business, and the effect around the world long term would be less pollination which would impact a lot of other things.”

Lynne advises looking for independent, natural honey producers in the UK and forming a relationship with them rather than choosing the most convenient jars from a wholesaler. “Avoid labels that say ‘blend of’ or ‘non EU’ honey on. By law, any honey producer here has to state ‘produced in the UK’ on the label. If it says ‘packed in the UK’ it that doesn’t mean anything. It could be any other honey that’s just put into jars here.”

Although honey doesn’t have its own accreditation scheme there are, say producers, some other things you could look out for. Black Bee Honey, for example, is a B Corp, which Paul says gives a really good level of accountability for the business from field to jar.

While Cassie recommends reaching out to brands, such as Local Honey Man, that have the nod from SALSA. “For us that’s massive,” she says. “You can’t cheat anything and have to get your honey tested. It proves the business has taken time to prove what they’re doing is what they say they’re doing. If someone isn’t accredited by SALSA ask them for any lab test results they have. If they say they’ve got borage honey, you can ask them to prove it. If they’re a responsible beekeeper they will know their stuff and tell you straight away. Don’t be afraid to ask questions!”