In Europe, the honey market is in turmoil. Recent studies show that nearly half of the imported honey is adulterated with cheap sugar syrups. The EU is responding with new regulations, but consumers can already make a difference. It starts with one word on the label: 'mixed'.
The problem with ‘Mixed EU and non-EU honey’
In most supermarkets, the honey label shows one of the following vague terms:
- "Mixed EU honey"
- "Mixed non-EU honey"
- "Mixed EU and non-EU honey"
These designations, allowed under the old EU guidelines, are not transparent. They give consumers no idea about the actual origin or, crucially, the proportion of honey from the different countries.
For example, a jar may contain 99% cheap honey from a country with a high risk of fraud and 1% expensive EU honey, but legally the vague 'mixed' label suffices. This lack of transparency makes it very easy to market cheap, diluted honey in Europe.
Shocking results: Honey adulterated with sugar syrups
This lack of transparency has major consequences. Coordinated EU investigations revealed that a significant portion of honey imported into Europe did not meet the definition of honey because it was diluted with cheap sugar syrups (such as rice, wheat, or beet syrup). This is outright fraud, undercutting beekeepers who follow the rules and misleading consumers.
This ‘fake honey’ is cheaper to produce, does not have the same nutritional and medicinal properties as pure honey, and endangers the entire beekeeping sector.
- European Coordinated Survey (2023): The European Commission report on the coordinated action "From the Hives" (conducted in 2021-2022). This study revealed that 46% of tested batches of imported honey were suspected of adulteration with added sugar syrups.
- European Parliament and the Council (2024): The political agreement on the revision of the "Breakfast Directives" (honey directive). This confirms that the EU is tightening legislation to tackle fraud and the lack of transparency about origin countries and their percentages.
- Type of Fraud: News articles and scientific analyses from the Joint Research Centre (JRC) confirm that the adulteration mainly involved the use of cheap sugar syrups (such as rice syrup or beet syrup) to dilute the honey.
The Organic Guarantee and Control
You may wonder how control works, especially for organic honey.
Our honey carries an organic certification. This means that controls in Bulgaria and then in the EU are extra strict. Organic organizations check not only for the absence of pesticides and antibiotics but also for:
- The bees must collect nectar within a 3-kilometer zone free from pesticides and pollution. (no highways, no industry).
- Supplementary feeding during scarcity is only allowed with organic honey or organic sugar.
- Chemical treatments and the use of antibiotics are prohibited for the health of the bees.
- Processing must preserve the natural composition and nutritional value of the honey.
- The final product is strictly tested for purity (no added sugar syrups) and the absence of chemical residues and antibiotics.
- Complete documentation is mandatory to trace the honey from the jar back to the original beehive.
The future: Clearer labels are coming
Good news is that the European Union has responded to the widespread fraud. A political agreement has recently been reached on revising the labeling rules (the so-called ‘Breakfast Directives’).
In the future, for mixed honey it will be mandatory to:
- List the countries of origin on the label.
- Indicate the percentage share for each country, in descending order.
This is a major victory for consumers and honest beekeepers. But these new rules are not yet in force.
Make a difference now
You don’t have to wait for new legislation to be sure of your honey quality. The solution is simple: Buy honey that is transparent in its ingredient list
Our honey is 100% ORGANIC Bulgarian flower honey. Not mixed, fully transparent, and directly traceable.
