“Beekeepers Tested Honey Using New DNA Technology, But Most Jars Contained Very Little Honey, Mostly Sugar and Other Sweeteners.”
"The industry organization Beekeeping Entrepreneurs has tested 40 honey products available in Swedish grocery stores using new DNA technology. The results were disappointing: only four jars contained genuine honey produced in Sweden, while the remaining 36 imported jars mostly contained sugar and syrup.
Yngve Kihlberg, chairman of Beekeeping Entrepreneurs, expressed shock at the extent of the fraud, stating, ‘We knew there were counterfeit products on the market, but we are shocked by the scale.’ These products are found on the shelves of major grocery chains. According to the organization, the counterfeit honey primarily comes from China, where producers have learned to manipulate the products in a way that evades standard inspections, resulting in jars filled mostly with sugar products and very little honey.
Kihlberg added, ‘Chinese counterfeit honey is flooding the market and tastes like honey. However, the consequences are detrimental to European beekeepers, and pollination in Europe is decreasing, which contributes to reduced biodiversity and lower domestic food supply.’
The Swedish Food Agency has acknowledged the DNA test results and considers it a serious issue. Maria Florin, head of the agency, stated, ‘We want to combat fraud, but since the honey issue falls under the EU, we cannot take action.’
The EU requires that testing methods for products like honey be accredited by specific laboratories to ensure the tests are conducted correctly. Florin noted, ‘The fake honey is not just a problem in Sweden but for beekeepers across the EU. The matter is with the EU Commission, and we do not know when a decision will be made. As long as the EU does not approve the tests, we do not have the right to remove the products from grocery store shelves.’
Swedish grocery retailers have contacted their honey suppliers, but the suppliers argue that according to the currently approved testing methods, the products are classified as honey, so they do not plan to change their inventory. Martin Andersson, responsible for trade policy at Swedish Grocery Retail, stated, ‘We would like to change the current testing methods if they are not effective, but we must wait for the EU’s decision on the accreditation of DNA tests.’"
There’s no place in Europe you can’t get locally produced honey. If this is important to you get your honey from a local beekeeper, for a higher price obviously.
Yes, personnal responsibility and market mechanism will surely be enough to overcome fraud.
Not what I meant. I’m with you in regards to necessary policy change - however, I don’t see a reason for that here. I was just pointing out that, if it’s that important to you your honey comes from real bees, you can always get real honey.
I mean, if it’s not honey, it should say that it is not honey If the manufacturer plays semantics and mind games with their product, labels and packaging, then the labelling and packaging laws should be made punitive and constraint manufacturer to prevent them doing this.
If I want flavored honey-colored corn syrup, I want it to be instantly communicated to me, from 20 feet away, that this is what is inside the packaging.
Thank you. I’m so incredibly tired of propaganda guilt tripping consumers to feel personally responsible for issues that should be regulated and fixed by a competent government.
I know this generally falls under the personal responsibility part, but I think it’s also important to point out separately that not only do you have to do this, but you have to KNOW you need to do this. How many people are going to be exposed to this information and then remember it? I try to care and minimize my impact, but I legitimately forget who I’m “supposed” to be boycotting unless it’s a big thing. I don’t shop at target now, but should I have stopped sooner? Starbucks and McDs, but am I also not supposed to eat at chipotle? I legitimately do not remember. Heck, I don’t even remember why I’m boycotting some places. I just assume if it’s convenient and cheap I should not go.
Higher price and no convenience… one need to go in the village, hope someone is at home, endure the social interaction… because few shops carry beekeepers produce. Notably because tax avoidance. So it’s not exactly a walk in the park as a consumer.
The Chinese are probably only doing it for profit, but if the result of flooding the market with cheap “honey” is a crash in European pollinator population because of bankrupt beekeepers it could be a problem for agriculture and native European plant species, I guess.
Honey bees are competition for the wildly more important wild bees. Some kinds of wild bees were deliberately eradicated by commercial bee keepers so fuck em and if they’re gone - good
People should visit their local farmers market more often and stop buying neatly packaged trash
20 minute drive out to the honey farmer, 10 minutes to my asparagus guy, 10 minutes to the butcher for some chicken, hmmm if only there were some sort of larger… super large market so that I don’t spend so much of my life driving around…
Your area doesn’t have farmers markets in warmer months? It’s usually an outdoor area where farmers set up booths and you can get everything in one spot. I buy all of my seasonal veggies this way, and I’m gonna keep an eye out for honey next time I go.
If only there were some sort of larger… market… of farmers… called a farmers market… that you could visit in one trip… like the person you’re literally replying to mentioned…
My local farmer’s market just has resellers selling stuff like pineapples in an upper midwestern state of the U.S. mixed in with the dwindling local ones and the price is 3 times as much and they don’t take SNAP benefits. 🙃
There are companies that pick up that stuff from all around and deliver it to your door. No need for driving or crowded food libraries. I can recommend mamaearth.ca if you’re in the Toronto area. It has been over a year since I’ve set foot in a grocery store and I don’t see that changing unless I forget something important for a meal that can’t wait til tomorrow.
It’s pretty nice. My mom has a few acres of land, and lets a local bee keeper have hives on it. Every so often a few jars of honey will show up on her doorstep.
Just keep her away from those scam callers or the president’s son will be assassinated
Must be nice thinking everyone lives where you live and has access to these things
Lol if you knew where I live you wouldn’t be saying that. Anyway I don’t see how buying food from a farmer is a priviledge, but correct me if I’m wrong (with an actual argument).
If you’re in Europe, always check for 100% EU honey if you want real honey. If it says mixed it’s probably 95% sugar syrup and only 5% – or however low % they can get away with – real honey.
This has been known for a Looooong time. Anything you buy at the grocery store, even 'pure honey’s is fake.
Advertising is a synonym for lies
Buy from farmers.
You mean the onions I bought aren’t actually onions??
Correct, they are chives.
i assume you are american? in my european grocery store if it says honey, its honey.
The article you’re commenting on is about EU grocery store honey being fake
hes from lemmy.ca so hes probably canadian
The link from op is from swedish television.
i speak about [email protected]
Yes, I belive he’s referring to OPs post
Could be referring to me though
The article is about honey taken from grocery stores in Sweden not being honey. Did I somehow miss Sweden leaving Europe?
Always great to see smug EU heads own themselves accidentally.
Is asking if hes american, smug? no its not. smug would be: knowing the food safety and quality situation in canada (i asumme you are american aswell!) i would not be surprised that FiveMacs would make such a comment.
But i didnt, i just asked if hes american…
reding komprension, u no hav?! i never talked about the article!!
Lol. You just said
“i assume you are american? in my european grocery store if it says honey, its honey.”
In response to someone’s comment about fake honey being in stores under the aforementioned article which is about fake honey in stores in the EU.
You completely ignored the article to go for a smug EU head own but owned yourself by ignoring the article. But doubling down is objectively hilarious so please continue to do so.
"Anything you buy at the grocery store, even 'pure honey’s is fake.
Advertising is a synonym for lies
Buy from farmers."
He clearly speaks from his american expirience because online you can find many articles and blogs of american who say foodstuffs in grocery stores is a bad. I very rarely hear these viewpoints of europeans. But lets not assume and let FiveMacs say how he sees things and on which continent he is!
"…in my european grocery store if it says honey, its honey.”
He clearly speaks from his american expirience
‘We knew there were counterfeit products on the market, but we are shocked by the scale.’
Florin noted, ‘The fake honey is not just a problem in Sweden but for beekeepers across the EU. The matter is with the EU Commission, and we do not know when a decision will be made. As long as the EU does not approve the tests, we do not have the right to remove the products from grocery store shelves.’
The OP article that their comment was in response to was about a widespread issue of fake honey in Europe. You don’t hear about fake stuff in Europe because you’d rather ignore the evidence literally right in front of you to keep your EU superiority complex alive.
The EU is far from immune to the basic forces of capitalism.
You didn’t read the article it’s literally about fake honey in the EU
The matter is with the EU Commission, and we do not know when a decision will be made. As long as the EU does not approve the tests, we do not have the right to remove the products from grocery store shelves.’
Swedish grocery retailers have contacted their honey suppliers, but the suppliers argue that according to the currently approved testing methods, the products are classified as honey, so they do not plan to change their inventory. Martin Andersson, responsible for trade policy at Swedish Grocery Retail, stated, ‘We would like to change the current testing methods if they are not effective, but we must wait for the EU’s decision on the accreditation of DNA tests.’"
Don’t be deceived by the “we need honeybees” myth. We need wild bees! Fuck honey and fuck beekeepers. Honey bees decrease the number of wild bees.
Can/would wild bees pollinate enough to replace honeybees while maintaining the crop yields?
I’m not too deep into this but this actually looks like another China W as they kill the honeybee business.
here’s an idea but maybe if you can’t tell the difference then it doesn’t fucking matter
it’d be nice if the chinese scammers would just label it vegan honey though so i can start putting it into shit at work
It matters if you are concerned with things related to the honey other than taste and texture of the raw product.
But it is also a good point that quality imitations of foods are pretty rare, so it could be useful as an independent class of goods.
But the glycemic index. Like I’m buying honey cause it’s honey.
They found a way to make sugar syrup emulate the exact taste, smell, and consistency as real honey, and that’s a bad thing? I for one welcome this new animal exploitation free honey.
I would appreciate not being lied to. Call it “I can’t beelieve it’s not Honey”, write the proper list of ingredients on the back and I’m fine with it.
Well yeah of course.
And replace it with some industrial grade garbage corn syrap? Hell fucking no
That’s cool Europe probably doesn’t need bees anyway.
Bees do contribute to pollination but commercial beehives are so not on the top of contributors. Reducing pesticides even a little would do so much more
Because farming is the only way bees can exist.
This hit the news a few years ago. Basically, if it says “blend of EU and non EU honey” it’s for Chinese sugar water in it.
Can customers demand a refund from these grocery chains for scamming them?
According to EU regulations, there’s no grounds for that, as they have been tested and approved as honey in the EU. The Swedish testing which proves it’s not pure honey is not approved by the EU.
Local honey costs twice as much as the cheapest honey around here (both from supermarkets). I’m not saying this is bad! But currently I’m forced to buy the cheapest, if any. I wonder if it’s honey at all…
edit: it’s a mix of honey from the EU and honey from outside the EU. That’s all it says on the label. It’s from Coop Sverige…
Then it’s exactly what’s being discussed here. If they’re not giving more details than that, assume the worst.
The ICA Basic honey lists the specific countries of origin.
Didn’t Netflix cover this in a food special 5 years ago? That and Tiger King.
