A treasure in peril: honey! Sold in France, honey is subject to various frauds, whether related to sugaring, mixing or incorrect labeling. This situation results from a drop in production, a significant increase in imports, particularly from China, and a gap in terms of traceability. The 2019 version of the annual Cyclope report, a report on raw materials in the world, presents a worrying observation. According to the conclusions of the study, global demand for honey is increasing by 1 to 2% annually, but production is encountering obstacles, becoming problematic, even chaotic, in many countries. This disparity creates fertile ground for the circulation of altered, tampered honey and other fraudulent practices. In this article, we zoom in on the reasons for the scarcity of this precious nectar.
A treasure in danger: honey
The situation: between taste pleasure and production challenges
Renowned for its taste qualities and its antiseptic, antibacterial and antiviral properties, honey is increasingly consumed in France, with an average of 600 grams per person each year, totaling around 40,000 tonnes. However, national production is decreasing with the decline of bees. This situation has led to a doubling of imports since 2004. In 2016, of the 9,000 tonnes produced in France, 31,000 were imported, notably from China, Spain, Ukraine and South America.
Faced with growing demand (+0.5% per year), food industry manufacturers do not hesitate to market processed and repackaged honey, sometimes mixed with other honeys or with added sugar syrups. However, to be classified as "honey" and sold as such, no addition of substance is authorized, no processing is permitted, and it must be produced by the Apis mellifera bee species, in accordance with European regulations.
One of the major problems: the growing threat to bees
Excessive bee mortality also leads to a decrease in production and yields from hives, thus encouraging the development of lucrative practices involving adulterated or adulterated honey.
Although some causes of mortality are well identified, others, more discreet, are just as harmful. Among the main factors contributing to the disappearance of bees, we find:
- The Asian hornet has become an omnipresent predator in France, raising growing concerns for various flying insects, including bees.
- The anthropogenic impact on nature and the environment, increasingly threatening the habitat and habits of bees.
- The Varroa parasite, which is rampant in hives.
- The consequences of global warming, illustrated by warm winters prematurely prompting bees to emerge from hibernation, followed by cold springs with late frosts leading to high mortality.
- Pesticides and insecticides, some of which have a direct impact on bee mortality.
Although initiatives are emerging to protect these essential pollinators, their implementation remains marginal. It is imperative to accelerate decision-making and act quickly. It is crucial to emphasize that pollinating insects, including bees, are responsible for 35% of human food.
Counterfeit and falsified honeys
France, like many other countries, is no longer able to produce all of the honey it consumes. In conjunction with the multiple threats to our bees, as detailed above, we are witnessing a veritable proliferation of tampered and adulterated honey, most often from China.
In 2014, a study by UFC-Que Choisir revealed that among 20 “first price” range honeys from various supermarkets, six had added sugar, or nearly a third of the products. In 2015, a study by the European Union showed that out of 1,200 imported honeys, more than 30% were fraudulent!
The 2019 Cyclope report also mentions beehive thefts, a growing phenomenon described as "highly organized trafficking." Swarms are packed into trucks and shipped to Eastern Europe, where they are resold individually. This situation now makes bees "almost as valuable as the nectar they produce."
Accordingly…
According to a recent report by the European Commission, a significant proportion of honey imported into Europe is suspected of being fraudulent, and this fraud is often difficult to detect. Sampling and monitoring work carried out by Brussels reveals that around half of honey from non-EU countries is cut with sugar syrups made from rice, wheat or sugar beet. This practice is strictly prohibited under European regulations. Of the 320 batches of honey tested by the Joint Research Centre, the Commission's official laboratory, 147 were considered fraudulent, representing 46% of the samples analysed. This is worrying given that Europe imports around 175,000 tonnes of honey per year, or around 40% of its consumption, making it the second largest importer of honey in the world after the United States. The majority of the "fake honeys" identified come mainly from China and Turkey.
How can we take action against these falsifications?
To counter counterfeit and tampered honey, we must favor French and local production. Unfortunately, honey production in France continues to decline, even showing a slight decrease. At the same time, France is forced to import honey from all over the world. This phenomenon is exacerbated by unscrupulous foreign producers who resort to adulteration, a method consisting of cutting honey with industrial syrup or providing sugar to artificially feed the bees during the honey flow.
The year 2016 was disastrous for honey production in France, reaching a level not seen since the 1970s. French beekeepers harvested less than 10,000 tons of honey, almost half of the 2015 harvest. In 2017, France produced just under 20,000 tons, which represents only half of the national consumption. However, France has a huge untapped potential with more than 40 types of honey, offering a wide variety of products and colors. Unfortunately, French beekeepers only cover 50% of the national production, or 20,000 tons.
The trade balance for honey in France is heavily in deficit, with imports of 34,000 tonnes mainly from Spain, China and Ukraine, and only 4,700 tonnes exported in 2014. Between 2010 and 2017, the volume of imports increased by 39%. Regarding royal jelly, the French consume 100 tonnes per year while French production does not exceed 3 tonnes. The challenges related to beekeeping and competition from low-cost imported honeys are jeopardizing French production. This problem has implications far beyond beekeeping, threatening the entire pollination process.
To secure their income, beekeepers have diversified their products by marketing not only honey, but also a wide range of hive products such as pollen, royal jelly, propolis, as well as many honey-derived products such as candy, gingerbread, cookies, nougat, and even mead.
The situation is therefore not very encouraging, but by buying and consuming honey from our local producers, we can help combat this situation!
The commitments of La miellerie
At the honey house, you have access to honeys and honey-based products designed with commitments to respect tradition and the environment. We are also committed to ensuring certified traceability for consumers.
While bees play a crucial role in the pollination process and are essential players in biodiversity, they are today threatened; we are committed to pampering and protecting them.
We practice pastoral beekeeping or transhumance of bees which consists of moving our hives from one region to another, several times during the year in order to allow our bees to benefit from the different blooms which allows us to vary the harvests and the types of honey. We respect their tranquility and their rhythm of life by carrying out transhumance at night only.
We are always looking for the best terroirs for the development of our bees, terroirs that are passed down from generation to generation. To do this, we pay attention to the environment, the composition of the soils and the floral areas on which we install our hives. We practice so-called sustainable beekeeping by ensuring that each of our bees has the necessary comfort they need to forage.
The honey house will introduce you to products such as:
- Nearly 45 single-flower varieties of honey which can vary according to the seasons and climatic hazards (in our regions , in France and around the world )
- 17 Gingerbread Recipes
- 10 varieties of nonnettes (6 different fillings)
- 13 jams
- More than 20 varieties of candy
- And many other discoveries...
To learn more about the honey house and our history, please read our article on the Perronneau family .
