Sweet like fake honey
05 May 2025
Honey is one of the most faked foods in Europe. Nearly half (46%) of the honey imported to the EU in 2023 wasn't pure, often containing added sugar syrups or lacking natural plant diversity. Imports from China and Türkiye were flagged most often. While the EU is still working on unified standards, Austria is already taking action with high-tech DNA testing.
The country's public health agency, AGES, uses DNA tests in official food fraud investigations, and a lab in Tyrol analyses around 100 honey samples monthly using environmental DNA. The technology links honey to the plants visited by the bees. Austrian beekeepers now offer QR codes to prove the origin of their products. The supermarket chain SPAR Austria even removed honey from shelves until products passed DNA and chemical testing.
The EU is slowly catching up. A new labelling directive, set to take effect in 2026, will require origin disclosure, and an expert group is currently working toward harmonising detection methods. Yet, Austria is the only EU country with a government-led DNA program. Others, like Germany, still rely on traditional methods, such as chemical analysis and pollen testing.
With growing consumer expectations for food authenticity, fair farming, and transparency, the demand faces a stark reality: A recent UK study found that 90% of retail honey samples failed authenticity checks. In Latvia, an investigation by the national beekeepers' association revealed that only 6 out of 20 supermarket honey samples met EU standards.
 | Claudia Tschabuschnig While growing up, honey was always a staple, especially on buttered bread for breakfast. Bees were one of my first encounters with biodiversity loss, shared through stories from an older colleague, a beekeeper in the countryside, who stocked the whole office with honey. That is a common practice in my circles, where most know their honey producers. Buying from local beekeepers might be the easiest way to avoid fraud. |
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