Worldwide fraudulent honey acknowledged.

"Beekeepers and importers face a mounting crisis over the scale of fraud, with warnings that genuine products are bulked out with cheaper sugar syrup. Some common tests to detect fraud can easily be defeated, and beekeepers say there has been a failure by food watchdogs and the industry to combat the fraudsters".

Beekeepers halt honey awards over ‘huge fraud’ in global supply chain

Warnings that genuine products are bulked out with cheaper sugar syrup prompt international congress to withdraw prizes

www.theguardian.com

 

[Alastair]

The article states that the UK imports 39,000 tons of honey each year from China. Much of this suspected to be fraudulent.

Could be an opportunity for New Zealand here.

 

[tristan]

talking to guys from the biggest honey co in the uk, most nz honey going into uk is fine, except for some coming direct from a few beeks.
one of the problems is when we sell in bulk (ie drums/ibc) to overseas, which makes it much easier and cheaper for them to pad it out.

 

[Alastair]

except for some coming direct from a few beeks.

You mean there are some NZ beekeepers adulterating honey?

 

[tristan]

You mean there are some NZ beekeepers adulterating honey?

i think it get padded out when its overseas, it doesn't help when it gets exported in drums.
we know what gets shipped from nz, what gets imported to the uk and the uk guys have a fair idea of how much is sold by who.

this is where we should only be selling packed product and all labeling done in nz (otherwise those overseas printers can easily sell your label off to other parties so they can repot your jars).

 

[CMatt]

How or who can we organise to to have a full on effort to gain this market , It seems like the prime time to promote our high quality honeys at a sustainable price for beekeepers.

Is there a govt department we can lobby to really push our product ?

 

[tristan]

How or who can we organise to to have a full on effort to gain this market , It seems like the prime time to promote our high quality honeys at a sustainable price for beekeepers.

Is there a govt department we can lobby to really push our product ?

we should be pushing that. we have no cheap Chinese or Australian honey to water down our honey with. our feed sugar is primarily sugar cane, which is tested for, beet and corn sugar is rare.
buy from nz to ensure you get a reputable product.

also high end honey you can push the "single origin" concept (a few here do). just like high end coffee (as i'm enjoying a Single Origin - Colombia - La Primavera Yobani Huertas at the moment)

however i think the big thing is getting together and being organized, more like Zespri.
beeks competed against one another and give away all their profits in the process.

 

[LQB Apiary]

Has anyone had a chance to read The Beekeepers Lament in their off season? It was a chapter in the book of how this has been done so much and of course additives to fool testing systems for Manuka led to some changes.
This commercial beekeeper happened upon a type of $2 shop with Teddy bear squeeze bottles of "Honey", tipping it upside down to see bubbles race to the top. The rest of that chapter gave a really good run down on the how's and why's e.g. food labelling laws. Picture was quite vast and political intrigue abounded.