You probably weren't aware that much of the honey found on grocery store shelves is actually fake—in some cases, it contains little to no actual honey. In fact, honey is one of the most faked foods found in our food supply today. Here's why, and how it's affecting those who produce real honey—plus what it means for all the supposed health benefits of the so-called superfood.
BHG / Sydney Saporito
Humans have been consuming honey for thousands of years, but it's truly all the rage right now— over 562 million pounds were consumed in 2022 alone, and demand dropped only slightly last year from 2021's record high. The flavor and health benefits both earn it a spot in an increasing number of products as the years go on. But most consumers are unaware that much of the honey they’re consuming isn’t actually honey at all.
Honey can be adulterated in many ways—from treating it with heat to filtering it to diluting it with modified additives like sugar or syrup. It can be harvested too early as plant nectar, doctored up, and sold falsely as the end product, honey. It can even be labeled as local when it’s really sourced internationally. Other particularly savvy honey-making imposters go as far as to feed bees sugar and syrup to produce honey, rather than natural foraging—severely impacting the product’s nutritional benefits. And even the higher-end honeys like Manuka aren't necessarily safe from these dodgy escapades.
But how can this continue to happen? While the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has created a grading system for honey to let consumers know the quality of the product they’re buying, there is no enforcement system in place, so producers can put just about whatever they like on the bottle.
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