Article by: Janna Tamargo | Article Sourced: Carten Rehder/dpa via Reuters Connect, Reporting by: Simon Roughneen in Dublin, Editing by: Coman Hamilton | Photography by Janna Tamargo | Published March 6, 2025
As we all anxiously await the arrival of spring, we can thank bees for playing a crucial role in making it bloom. These tiny pollinators are responsible for the vibrant flowers, fresh fruits, and thriving ecosystems that define the season. Without their hard work, our world would look and taste very different.
A few years ago, I found myself fully suited up, standing in the middle of a buzzing apiary, surrounded by thousands of bees. I had signed up for a beekeeping class that was offered by Bee Friends Farm at Conagree and Penn in North Florida on a whim, not just for myself, but as a special experience for my mom. Her name is Melissa, which fittingly means honey bee in Greek, and I thought it would be a unique way to connect with nature and celebrate her namesake. What I didn’t expect was to walk away as an honorary beekeeper, with a newfound respect for these tiny pollinators and a new awareness of how much fake honey is flooding the market.
My Journey Into Beekeeping
The class began with the basics: understanding hive structures, recognizing the roles within a colony, and, of course, handling bees with care. There was something almost meditative about opening a hive, watching the bees work in perfect harmony, each playing a role in the production of that golden nectar we so often take for granted.
For me, one of the biggest takeaways from my experience was how sensitive bees are to their environment. Changes in climate, pesticide use, and habitat loss are all contributing to a decline in bee populations worldwide, a crisis that could have devastating consequences for food production. Bees are responsible for pollinating crops that make up a significant portion of our diet. Without them, the future of many of our favorite foods is uncertain.
The Rise of Fake Honey
But beyond the environmental concerns, I was also introduced to a troubling reality: much of the honey available in grocery stores is not what it claims to be. In recent years, the market has been flooded with adulterated honey—products that contain added sugar syrups from rice, corn, or sugar beets, passed off as the real thing.
According to an article from Deutsche Presse-Agentur GMBH, scientists in the UK have come up with a laser test to quickly comb out counterfeit honey, which has become ubiquitous across Europe over the past decade.
Usually used to test pharmaceuticals and in security screening, the "non-invasive" Spatial Offset Raman Spectroscopy sounds like the bee’s knees: It allows for jars to be checked for counterfeit honey - which usually entails rice, corn or sugar beet syrups being passed off as the real thing - without even twisting off the lid.
"This method is an effective, quick tool to identify suspicious samples of honey, helping the industry to protect consumers and verify supply chains," said Maria Anastasiadi, lecturer in bioinformatics at the UK's Cranfield University.
A European Commission report published last year found that half the 320 commercially available jars marketed as honey it tested were laden with sugar, up from the 14% found a similar study carried out in 2015.
In a statement published in early October by Copa Cogeca, the European farm lobby group, French beekeeper Yves Harmon warned the sector in Europe was "in crisis" due to a combination of factors, such as cheap imports from China and Ukraine and "a market flooded with adulterated honey."
Since the characteristics of honey vary greatly due to sources of nectar, season of harvest and geography, detecting adulterated products has been tricky, the study authors explain.
Researchers said they participated in a second study with Queen’s University Belfast and Britain Food Standards Agency in which they tested for fake honey using a DNA barcoding method, whereby the specemin is identified by analysing segments of DNA.
"To date, DNA methods haven’t been widely used to examine honey authenticity," said Anastasiadi. The second study, published in the journal Food Control, "showed that this is a sensitive, reliable and robust way to detect adulteration and confirm the origins of syrups added to the honey."
Recent years there have been multiple studies warning that shrinking bee populations worldwide could lead to a pollination and food production crisis.
Why Authentic Honey Matters
Real honey is more than just a sweetener; it carries the essence of its environment. The flavor, texture, and color of honey are influenced by the nectar sources, the season of harvest, and the region where the bees collect pollen. When honey is adulterated, it loses not only its natural complexity but also the health benefits that come from the unique enzymes, antioxidants, and antibacterial properties found in authentic honey.
How to Ensure You're Buying Real Honey
With so much fraudulent honey on the shelves, how can consumers ensure they’re getting the real deal? Here are a few tips:
Buy local – Purchasing honey directly from beekeepers or farmers’ markets reduces the risk of getting adulterated products.
Check the label – Look for honey that lists a single source of origin and avoid those with vague terms like “blend of honeys from multiple countries.”
Perform a simple test – Real honey is thick and slowly drips off a spoon. If it runs too quickly or dissolves immediately in water, it may be diluted.
Opt for raw honey – Processed honey often loses its beneficial properties, so choosing raw, unfiltered honey is a safer bet.
Research brands – Some reputable brands test their honey for purity, and third-party certifications can provide additional assurance.
Protecting Bees, Protecting Honey
The more I learned about honey, the more I realized how deeply connected it is to the health of bee populations and the integrity of our food supply. Fake honey isn’t just an issue of fraud, it’s a symptom of larger challenges facing the beekeeping industry, from environmental threats to unfair market competition. These challenges are what motivated me to start my journey to understand why authenticity in food is so important.
If we want to continue enjoying real honey, we need to support ethical beekeeping practices, demand transparency in labeling, and remain vigilant about where our food comes from. Because every jar of real honey represents not just the hard work of beekeepers, but the incredible, tireless efforts of bees themselves.
And as an honorary beekeeper, I can say with certainty: the bees deserve better!
