Can You Spot Fake Honey? Experts Say It’s Hard

José María Morelos — Detecting adulterated or counterfeit honey can be very complicated for the average consumer, warned researcher Aurora Xolalpa Aroche of the Center for Innovation for Sustainable Apicultural Development at the Intercultural Mayan University of Quintana Roo. She explained that many imitations are formulated to appear chemically similar to the natural product.

The specialist pointed out that for years one of the most frequent problems has been the adulteration of honey, which consists of adding syrups or other substances to increase the product's volume. In these cases, she explained, some laboratory analyses can detect changes in moisture or in the concentration of sugars such as glucose and fructose.

However, she explained that the current problem is even more complex due to counterfeiting, as some products are made with chemical formulations that mimic the composition of genuine honey. Therefore, she stated that it is very difficult for the average person to distinguish at a glance whether it is real honey or an imitation product.

The researcher indicated that one sign that could raise suspicion is an excessively low price, since genuine honey requires the work of the bees and the management of the beekeepers, so its production cost does not allow it to be sold at excessively cheap prices.

She also warned that the consumption of counterfeit products not only affects beekeepers economically, but can also have implications for public health, since some substitutes contain mixtures of industrial syrups whose components are not always precisely known and can contribute to problems such as obesity or diabetes.

Finally, she highlighted that internationally, the implementation of traceability systems is being promoted to track the origin of honey from the production unit to the final consumer, a strategy that seeks to guarantee the authenticity of the product and protect both producers and consumers.