For years, the price of honey in Europe has been falling. Professional beekeepers across the continent have been asking: why?
Determined to uncover the truth, European professionals began independently purchasing imported honey from supermarkets — and sending the samples for advanced authenticity testing. Their suspicion: many of these “honeys” are actually diluted with sugar syrups that escape detection in traditional labs.
In Estonia, they found a partner: a laboratory capable of detecting adulteration using cutting-edge DNA-based metagenomic sequencing — a technology far beyond standard sugar profiling.
Estonian beekeepers, in cooperation with the EPBA, documented how syrup labeled as “honey” is openly offered at trade shows — with guarantees that “no lab will detect it.” The investigation is captured in the English-language documentary:
Very soon there will be more investigative documentaries published here, which has been done by professional beekeepers of the EPBA. Showing that NMR can be bypassed, showing the scale of the honey adulteration in the World of honey trading and more insights. What once seemed like isolated fraud now looks like a coordinated, global deception.
Because detection has become a cat-and-mouse game.
Standard tests, such as NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance), often can’t keep up with the sophistication of modern fraud. Cheap, lab-proof syrups are designed to mimic real honey’s sugar profiles — sometimes potentially using genetically modified bacteria to do so. Even experts now admit: if honey costs €1.99 for 500g, it simply can’t be real.
In the video, Bernhard Heuvel, President of the European Professional Beekeepers Association, explains the investigation methods.
Local producers are forced to sell below cost or close their operations. Many are giving up altogether — a direct threat to biodiversity and food security.
Supermarket shelves give the impression that honey is cheap. But real, pure honey costs at least €8–10 per 500g. Anything less is highly suspect.
Health Risks UnknownPeople buy honey for its health benefits — vitamins, enzymes, natural antibacterial properties. But fake honey is essentially low-grade sugar syrup, often with unknown additives. Are these substances safe? We don’t know.
The European Professional Beekeepers Association (EPBA) is the driving force behind the exposure of honey fraud in Europe. From coordinating undercover testing to bringing advanced DNA analysis into the spotlight, we are fighting for truth, transparency, and fair trade — for bees, beekeepers, and consumers.
Until real honey is protected.
Until fakes are removed from the market.
Until beekeepers are paid fairly for their honest work.
Join us. Support real honey. Support Europe’s professionals.
