In recent years, fake honey has appeared on the European market, and the figures are alarming. A recent inspection by the consumer association Active Consumers revealed that 5 out of 10 honey brands tested did not meet basic quality standards. These included:
Water content: must be less than 20%
Electrical conductivity: must not exceed 0.8 mS/cm
Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF): not more than 40 mg/kg
Diastase activity: at least 8 Göte units
Proline content: not less than 180 mg/kg
Fake honey floods the market: how to recognize the real thing
How is honey counterfeited?
There are two common methods of honey adulteration:
Dilution with glucose-fructose syrup increases volume and reduces production costs.
Premature harvesting, removing honey from the hive too early, speeds up production but results in higher water content and lower quality.
In both cases, what ends up on store shelves doesn’t meet the standards of natural honey.
Can you spot fake honey at home?
We consulted the internet to find the most popular honey authenticity tests. Here are our results and their reliability:
