Why your favourite breakfast food could be fake and the three ways to spot the real thing

Drizzled over porridge, slathered on toast or stirred into your tea, honey is a British breakfast staple.

We consume 43,000 tons of it a year – or, at least, we think we do, for it turns out that most of the honey sold in this country is fake.

Nine out of ten honey products on UK supermarket shelves are not what they claim to be, according to alarming new research, which found that so-called jars of ‘honey’ have been bulked out with inexpensive sweeteners such as rice syrup and sugar beet.

And it’s not the first time this has happened.

Last year, an investigation in the EU found that almost half of 147 honey samples, including ten from the UK, were ‘fraudulent’ and contained something other than the pure honey stated on the ingredients list.

Almost £90 million of the sweet substance is imported into this country every year, with most of it coming from China and Turkey.

Once here, the fake honey – usually a small amount of real honey mixed with cheap rice, corn or sugar beet syrups – is relabelled to dupe shoppers into buying it. 

In some cases, the bees themselves are fed sugar syrup, which also dilutes the end product.

Not only are we paying over-the-odds for it, but fake honey provides none of the benefits of real honey – and experts say it could even be bad for your health.

‘Proper honey has amazing health benefits, particularly when applied topically,’ says Julie Macken, a beekeeper from Oxfordshire, who runs the natural skincare brand Neve’s Bees.

‘It helps with wound healing, pimples and sore throats. Many people are aware that a spoonful a day helps allergies – the theory is that it’s the local pollen in the honey that is helping. A real honey would be required for this to work.’

Other health-boosting effects of real honey include boosting the metabolism, lowering cholesterol and aiding digestion. Counterfeit jars, by contrast, offer nothing but a sugar hit.

Registered dietitian Nichola Ludlam-Raine, author of How Not To Eat Ultra-Processed, says the influx of fake honey is concerning.

‘From a nutritional perspective, it’s important to remember that honey is still classified as a free sugar, much like table sugar, meaning it’s quickly absorbed and can contribute to excess calorie intake,’ she explains. This is even worse if your jar of honey contains added sweetener.

So how can you tell if your honey is fake? First, says Julie, read the small print on the packaging.

‘Always look on the label – even those with cute English countryside pictures or claims to support British beekeeping,’ she says.

‘Most honey, from the big brands as well, is blended from many countries – China, Kenya and Mexico – and not English wildflowers.’

Don’t be fooled by the words ‘Packed in the UK’. All this means is that the honey, wherever it originally comes from, has been jarred and labelled over here.

Try to buy British or local honey, with the location of origin clearly listed on the packaging. And avoid jars that mention honey from ‘a blend of non-EU countries’. This is almost certainly fake.

Buying directly from a producer, independent retailer or farm shop also means you’re more likely to get the real deal. Nichola suggests seeking out ‘reputable brands and trusted suppliers who have quality controls’.

If you prefer to get your honey from the supermarket, nutritionist Ella Rauen-Prestes, founder of healthy bakery Fitbakes, says you should always buy organic. 

‘Organic products go through a higher level of control and British honey is more controlled than imported ones,’ she adds.

Look at the price, too. At my nearest supermarket, jars range from just 75p (for basic, own-brand runny honey) to a steep £4.20 (for pure organic wildflower honey).

Sugar syrups are up to six times cheaper than real honey (rice sugar, for example, costs 30-50p per kilogram to import across Europe; honey is £1.93) – so if your honey is on the cheap side, chances are it’s fake.

If you’re still not sure, Ella suggests three quick and easy home tests which will give an indication one way or another.

‘Heat it up [in a saucepan on the hob]: fake honey will bubble or burn, while real honey caramelises,’ she explains.

‘Second – drop some honey in a glass of water. Fake honey will dissolve, at least partially, while real honey will settle at the bottom of the glass.’

Finally, you could see what happens over time: If left in a cool dark place for several months, real honey will naturally crystallise, hardening and developing a grainier texture. ‘Fake honey,’ says Ella, ‘does not.’