A study commissioned by the European Commission has shown that a large part of the honey that Europe imports is not authentic. De Telegraaf writes about this. “That honey is diluted with all kinds of other products to keep the price down,” said Ad van der Wiel, chairman of Imkers Nederland to BNR.
Although European directives require honey to be produced entirely by bees without additives, laboratory research by the Joint Research Center (JRC) shows that 46 percent of imported honey does not meet those requirements. Often rice, wheat or sugar beet syrup is added to the honey.
‘Compare that with honey from a beekeeper that really tastes like the plants in the area. Such as linden, fruit or heather honey’
According to Van der Wiel, it is a problem for honey’s image. “You can also taste it,” he says. ‘The honey you buy in supermarkets and which has often been tampered with, has an unequivocal taste. Compare that with honey from a beekeeper that really tastes like the plants in the area. Such as linden, fruit or heather honey.’
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Mandatory indication of origin
The Dutch Commission for Bee Products advocates mandatory labeling of the country of origin and investments in methods to detect fraudulent honey, as this is still difficult at the moment.
That could also help, according to Van der Wiel. ‘If you then see on the jar that part of the honey comes from, say, China or Turkey, you could conclude that it may have been tampered with.’ A quality mark for Dutch honey could also offer a solution, he says.
