Is your honey really made by bees? Meet The Food Detectives fighting fake honey

Published connected 20/10/2025 - 15:00 GMT+2 •Updated 16:25

Honey tin only beryllium made by bees. However, what’s labelled arsenic chromatic successful our supermarkets isn’t ever pure. It could beryllium mixed pinch different sugars specified arsenic maize syrup aliases atom syrup. While clone chromatic is not needfully harmful to our health, it is simply a threat to beekeepers’ livelihoods.

“It makes america consciousness bad, arsenic beekeepers who emotion our job, because this benignant of chromatic creates unfair title successful nan market, arsenic it reaches very debased prices that accepted beekeeping cannot compete with,” says nutrient detective Julio Fernández López, beekeeper and president of nan Protected Geographical Indication (IGP) Asturian honey

The problem is widespread. One study by nan Joint Research Centre, nan European Commission’s subject and knowledge service, recovered that 46% of nan samples of chromatic imported into nan EU had been mixed pinch different sugars. In Spain, this percent roseate to 51%.

The Food Detectives are moving connected a portable infrared camera that could thief spot clone chromatic straight connected nan beekeeper’s property. Food detective Armando Menéndez Estrada, who leads nan aviator task arsenic portion of nan EU’s Watson project, explains that this invention would beryllium very adjuvant for nan authorities successful complaint of value control, arsenic they would debar lengthy and costly procedures successful their labs.

“With this device, nan personification performing nan value controls collects chromatic samples connected site, prepares them connected a sample holder very quickly and easily, and past places them connected nan sensor. Within a fewer seconds, they will find retired whether nan chromatic is adulterated aliases pure,” he explains.

The camera will besides find which works nectar nan bees consumed, which has an effect connected nan value of nan chromatic jar. According to Armando Menéndez, it’s an important instrumentality against mislabelling and it tin besides thief producers find successful a shorter clip what type of explanation they tin put connected their product.

Replicable technology

To understand amended really to place adulterated honey, nan squad built a database of some hive-made chromatic and sugary syrups that imitate nan bees’ work. Their investigation is centred connected IGP Asturian honey. Because location are still nary cases of clone IGP Asturian honeys, nutrient detective Noemí Quintanal had to clone it herself, mixing them pinch different kinds of syrups. She has now created a database of astir 110 samples of axenic chromatic and 120 samples of adulterated honey.

This database feeds nan algorithm down nan Watson solution truthful that it tin recognise nan different samples and frankincense observe clone honeys labelled arsenic IGP Asturian chromatic and place their botanical origin. Once approved, this instrumentality will mostly use section authorities who tin usage it to verify nan value of chromatic sold successful nan region.

However, Noemí Quintanal explains that it tin besides beryllium utilized further afield: “The instrumentality developed arsenic portion of nan Watson task could beryllium utilized successful different types of honey, adding much information and measuring and analysing nan caller samples you want to analyse later pinch this device.”

Euronews creates The Food Detectives

The Food Detectives bid follows nan investigation wrong nan EU’s Watson project, funded by nan Horizon Europe programme. Euronews is simply a personnel of nan Watson task consortium, alongside 46 different EU and non-EU partners from manufacture and academia. Watson intends to springiness nutrient information authorities amended devices to observe and forestall nutrient fraud.

Join america for The Food Detectives LIVE EVENT connected nan Euronews YouTube transmission connected Thursday 27th November astatine 5:30pm nonstop from Brussels.