The issue with store-bought honey and what to look for on the label: financial news

Whether used as a natural sweetener in cooking, as a home remedy for sore throats or simply for dipping your pancakes in, honey is a staple item in cupboards across the country.

But what’s the best part? What do you look for on a label? And can you find excellent honey in the supermarket?

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In the first part of our new monthly series on buying products like a pro, we’ve got answers from top experts.

The issue at hand pertains to supermarket honey.

David Wagstaff, a commercial beekeeper and founder of More Bees Please, told Money Blog that the primary issues with supermarket honey were adulteration, a lack of transparency, and heavy processing.

A large portion of cheap supermarket honey is blended from imports, he said, often vaguely labelled as “a mixture of EU and non-EU honey”.

“Several tests indicate that such honey may be diluted with cheap sugar syrup (such as corn or rice syrup) or misrepresented as pure honey,” he said.

Industrial honey is often pasteurised and filtered for clarity and longer shelf life, Wagstaffe said. This process can remove the pollen, enzymes, and antioxidants present in raw, unprocessed honey.

Could a £3 supermarket product labelled as honey not actually be proper honey?

“Yes, that could happen,” Wagstaffe said.

“A £3 supermarket jar labelled ‘honey’ is legally allowed to be sold, but it is often very different from what most people imagine as real, natural honey.

“A £3 jar is typically priced that way because it is mass-produced, globally sourced and processed for sustainability – not because it is raw, local, or single-sourced.”

What should you look for on the label?

Dr Gino Jabbar, president of the Honey Guild of the United Kingdom, told Money Blog that consumers should always start by looking at the country of origin.

“Check whether it is from the same country or a mix of multiple regions,” he said.

Single-origin honey is generally more expensive than blends from multiple regions but is less likely to be adulterated.

“Look at the manufacturer’s description and any information on fragrance and beekeeping style, and make an informed choice,” says Dr Jabbar.

“Although a high price does not guarantee that the honey is genuine, the higher the price, the less likely the product is to be affected by global honey fraud.”

Is anything changing?

Honey is expensive to produce, its supply is limited and the price is low, meaning retail shelves are filled with cheaper alternatives.

Dr Jabbar says the British public is “completely ignorant” of these facts and the “wonderful taste and variety” of real honey, meaning high-quality alternatives may never reach shelves.

“A lack of honey education and honey culture in the UK remains the main reason for the high demand for low-cost honey. Unless customers demand the right to pay a higher price for honey, retailers will not risk stocking high-quality honey varieties, fearing it will not sell.”

Experts Say: Buy Local

“100% yes,” says David Wagstaffe, a commercial beekeeper and founder of More Bees Please, in an interview with Money.

“When you buy from a beekeeper or a local shop, you can often find out where the honey came from – right down to the location of the hive and the floral source.

“Independent tests have shown that honey from dedicated beekeepers is more likely to be genuine than many supermarket products.

“Buying local supports sustainable, bee-friendly practices and helps maintain healthy colonies in your area, which benefits widespread plant pollination.”

Not only is the recommended way to buy honey directly from the manufacturer, but Dr Jabbar suggests buying in bulk for a year’s supply at once.

“Honey is a limited resource with a flavour profile unique to that batch, season and terroir. Possible places to look are producers’ own websites, farmers’ markets, and retailers that stock UK and quality overseas products.”

English, honey.

Honey is imported into Britain from around the world but is also produced throughout the country – the colour, texture and aroma vary dramatically depending on the flowers the bees eat.

For example, honey made from borage fields in Essex is very thin, pale yellow with a mild flavour.

In contrast, ling heather honey, produced in wooded areas such as the Yorkshire moors and Scotland, is thick and amber in colour with a rich flavour.

Why is Manuka so sought after/expensive?

Manuka honey is a special type of honey produced by bees that pollinate the manuka bush, a plant native to New Zealand.

It is often sold as having health benefits due to its methylglyoxal content, which gives it specific antimicrobial properties.

Maureen Conker is a professional honey taster and world-renowned expert on Manuka honey.

He told Money Blog that the limited supply of manuka bushes and the remote nature of the places where it can be produced are driving up the price, as well as strict extraction practices.

“Medicinal-grade Manuka is extracted and processed in sophisticated hospital-standard extraction plants with double doors, sanitiser and disinfectant foot baths and full sterile clothing,” she explains.

“It is temperature controlled in secure facilities with high-tech extraction and packaging equipment.”

Buyers should look for UMF certification, which means the producer is licensed by the Unique Manuka Factor Honey Association.

Can you tell if honey is off just by looking?

Honey generally doesn’t expire, says Dr Jabbar, but its aroma, active nutritional compounds and enzyme activity will diminish over time, so he says it’s best to consume it before the stated best-by date for maximum enjoyment.

He says that some people consider the crystallisation of honey to be a problem, whereas it is not.

“All honey is naturally crystallised. In fact, some people prefer the texture of crystallised honey compared to liquid honey. This change may be unexpected, but it is natural and does not affect the quality of the honey.”

Dr Jabbar says that indirectly heating the honey to about 35°C for a few hours will return the honey to its liquid state.

What about organic vs non-organic?

Organic honey is produced using criteria set for organic beekeeping practices, and the producer is licensed by an authorised organic body.

Importantly, organic honey does not equate to a better-tasting or higher-aromatic-quality product, only that the honey is less likely to have the presence of foreign chemicals in it.

This means that most consumers will not even recognise organic honey, but those who want to support food produced under organic principles may choose to buy it.

Nevertheless, as Wagstaffe points out, it is incredibly difficult to prove that honey is 100% organic:

“It is almost impossible for a beekeeper to guarantee that every flower the bees visit within a three- to five-mile radius is organic. Because of this, many ethical beekeepers choose not to label their honey as organic.”

He adds, “I would encourage people to look for raw, natural, single-source honey from a trusted producer rather than focusing solely on the ‘organic’ label.”

I purchased honey; how should I store it?

Now that you’ve bought your honey, how do you store it?

Dr Jabbar says that honey should not be exposed to air for long periods of time, and if taken out from the original jar, it should be properly stored in an airtight container.

“Once used, close the lid and store the jar. Since honey is hygroscopic, it absorbs moisture from the air, and thus its water content increases, which weakens the preservative properties of the honey.”