K A S H R U T . C O M_©

Australia: Honey Fraud

August 24, 2018 from the Sidney Morning Herald:

"Australia’s biggest listed honey company and some of the country’s largest supermarket chains face accusations of selling fake honey."
"Testing at a leading international scientific lab that specialises in honey fraud detection has found almost half the samples selected from supermarket shelves was 'adulterated', meaning it had been mixed with other substances. The adulterated samples were all products that blend local and imported honey."
"Capilano’s Allowrie branded Mixed Blossom Honey, which sources honey from Australia and overseas, and markets itself as 100 per cent honey, showed up as “adulterated” in the majority of samples tested."
"Experts say adulterated honey was generally bulked up with rice syrup and beet syrup and other unidentified substances, which aren’t detected by official honey tests."
"International fraudsters, often criminal gangs in China, produce the fake honey and sell it to unsuspecting suppliers at a higher price, making a fortune along the way."
"The issue is not isolated to Australia, with the European Union, where most of the imports come from China, also fending off fake honey at its borders. According to reports, policymakers are concerned about what is thought to be the third-most adulterated product in the world with 20 per cent of samples tested by the EU failing to meet standards."
"In China, beehive numbers have increased by 6.7 per cent over the decade to 2016, but exports have soared by 200 per cent."