Why is Local Honey So Expensive Compared to Imported Supermarket Honey?

As a beekeeper, I often hear this question: why is local honey so expensive compared to supermarket honey? How is it that you can have two nearly identical jars of honey, one imported supermarket honey sold for less than €3, and one local honey sold for three times as much?

To get to the bottom of this, the question really needs to be turned on its head. Rather than asking why local honey is so expensive, we need to ask: why is imported honey so cheap?

Would you be surprised if I told you that the reason why this honey is so cheap is because a lot of it isn’t made by bees at all, it is man-made?

Adulterated Honey is Cheap

Honey is often quoted as being the third most falsified and adulterated food in the world, with olive oil and milk claiming first and second spot. A recent EU survey showed that nearly 50% of honey imported into the EU was suspect. This means that tests could not determine if the honey had been tampered with, blended with syrups, or was entirely fake. The situation in the US and globally is similar, if not worse.

But, I jump ahead, let’s start by looking at real honey, and what’s in it, and then compare it to fake honey.

Real Honey is Expensive

Real honey is made from nectar, which bees collect and transform through a process of drying and enzyme addition. It contains about 16-20% moisture, 80% natural sugars (mainly fructose and glucose), and various beneficial components such as pollen, propolis, and enzymes. The type of nectar collected influences the flavour and composition of the honey, with some nectars producing honey that granulates quickly due to higher glucose content. Local honey, often minimally filtered, retains its pollen and other natural components, leading to faster granulation. This granulation is often seen as a sign of authenticity.

What Is Fake Honey?

Fake or adulterated honey is often honey that has been diluted with cheaper sugar syrups derived from plants like sugar cane, corn, or rice. Colourants and flavourings have then been added to mimic the appearance and taste of genuine honey. These syrups bulk up the volume, making the ‘honey’ cheaper to produce than real honey made by honeybees from plant nectar.

Much of the imported honey also undergoes extensive heating and filtering. Heating prevents granulation by melting the sugars, while fine filtering removes pollen. This process delays granulation and ensures the honey remains liquid for longer, but it also strips the honey of its unique properties and makes it impossible to trace its geographical origin.

The Problem with Imported Honey

Imported honey can come from anywhere. Some of the world’s top honey exporters are China, New Zealand, Argentina, Ukraine, Brazil and India. The issue with imported honey is not that it is imported. In fact, the demand for honey is so big that we need to import, especially in poor years for honey production such as this. Some imported honey is excellent and pure. The problem with imported honey is that there is no way of knowing which is real, and which is fake. This is because, at the point of importation, very little of it is tested to ascertain if it is real honey. Most tests carried out determines if the product is food-safe, but not to verify that it is real honey made by honeybees…

Once the honey has entered the domestic market, it is blended and repackaged. If you look carefully at a jar of imported honey, you will often see the term: Blend of EU and Non-EU Honey in very small print on the lid. There is no requirement to state the ratio of EU and Non-EU honey on the label, which means that one of these blends could contain a minuscule amount of EU honey and a large proportion from countries with less stringent production standards.

The Problem with Honey Labeling Laws

The labelling of honey overall is very misleading. Not just in Ireland but in the EU and beyond. Much of the imported honey sold on the supermarket shelves are sold by brands with very indigenous sounding names, with the label proclaiming that this or that family business has been keeping bees for generations etc, etc. But if you read the small print, not one drop of honey in the jar is produced domestically. Beekeepers in Europe are lobbying to change the regulation, but it could be a very long process before country of origin and blend ratios are clearly shown on the labels of imported honey.

This clever marketing ploy results in consumers believing that they are buying domestic honey in the supermarket at a much lower price than what the local beekeeper is charging, sometimes giving rise to local beekeepers being told that they are overcharging for their product when the customer can buy ‘the exact same honey for half the price in the supermarket…’

Conclusion

Considering how much regulation is involved for beekeepers producing honey domestically, both here in Ireland, the rest of Europe and in the US, the lack of rigorous testing at the point of importation is ludicrous. It is allowing potentially adulterated honey to enter the market unchecked, flooding the market and competing with beekeepers producing real honey. To add insult to injury, the labelling laws are so weak and flawed, that it is allowed to mislead consumers into believing that they are buying a domestic product, when in fact ALL the honey in the jar is imported.

So next time you’re in the supermarket choosing between that cheap squeezy bottle of honey of dubious origin and the honey from the local beekeeper, which is pricier and has started to go a bit cloudy, ask yourself which is more likely to be real honey made by honeybees and not in some factory on the other side of the world. I think you know the answer.

Real honey isn’t cheap, and cheap honey isn’t real.

Hanna Bäckmo

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