The Crisis of Authentic Honey
The market for real honey is on the brink of collapse due to rampant counterfeiting. It is about the economic survival of beekeeping and thousands of families worldwide. Now, beekeepers are fighting back.
Uniting Against Counterfeit Honey
The business of counterfeit honey has been flourishing for decades and is taking on larger dimensions. Now, resistance is being organized. In early April, beekeepers, authorities, scientists, honey fillers, control laboratories, and professional associations met in Rome in a global alliance to discuss the escalating crisis in the honey market.
The Honey Market in Decline
Bernhard Heuvel warned participants in a compelling appeal and called for decisive action: "The market for real honey is on the brink of collapse. It's not just about honey – it's about the economic survival of beekeeping and thousands of families worldwide." Without serious measures, we risk the gradual collapse of professional beekeeping – a pillar of biodiversity, agriculture, and food security.
Solutions for Seven Key Issues
The EBPA is calling for concrete steps that must be initiated globally to increase pressure on actors and counterfeiters. They are the responses to seven key issues currently recognized and discussed as the biggest challenges for global beekeeping:
Response from Authorities and Participants
The response to the exchange among authorities and market participants was mostly positive – particularly from the DG SANTE (Anti-Fraud Commission of the EU), the US Customs Office, and many fillers showed willingness to cooperate.
Concrete Goals
Concrete goals now include the establishment of a global alert network for counterfeits with blacklisting of importers and batches, a registration requirement for honey importers, the creation of central databases, mandatory use of new test methods, especially DNA analytics, and the use of blockchain systems for traceability of honey from the store shelf to the beehive.
The End of Anonymity
"The era of anonymity is over," said EBPA President Heuvel. "For counterfeiters, it will be uncomfortable because we know the countries, trade routes, and perpetrator structures. We will do everything to ensure that real beekeepers can live on real honey again."
