The sting in fake honey

The golden liquid that most love and many use as a healthier substitute for sugar has come under scrutiny after two well-known Midlands honey manufacturers were reportedly caught cooking up fake honey last week.

According to a report on the TV programme Carte Blanche, two well-known honey producers were caught ‘stretching’ their product by adding a sugar water mix to honey.

Foxhill beekeeper Trevor Thompson said it was a sin to mix sugar water into honey.

“This is an abomination and goes against the whole ethos of bee keeping,” said Thompson.

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He said his own honey was once tested by a Muslim client who was fasting and therefore could not taste the honey before he bought it.

“He poured a teaspoon of my honey into a glass of cold water. It immediately dropped to the bottom where it settled. The man told me that real honey behaves this way. If it were fake honey, it would have mixed with the water and spread. It was fascinating.”

While Thompson was horrified by the idea of adding sugar water to honey, he said he knows it is quite common for beekeepers in colder climates to feed their bees sugar.

“Unlike us, the Midlands has a real winter, so the beekeepers will feed their bees sugar during those cold months to help keep the swarm strong when there is very little in nature to sustain the bees.

“The question I have is whether feeding sugar would influence the C4 sugars in the honey?”

C4 sugars come from sugar cane and grasses, which according to international acceptance levels cannot make up more than seven percent in honey.

Thompson said the fierce competition in the honey industry puts business owners under a lot of pressure.

“I always believe in buying in quality, not in price. This is definitely true for honey. Avoid big brands and stick with small beekeepers who are in it for the quality and the love of making real honey.”

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