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

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

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

Nine out of 10 honey products on British supermarket shelves are not what they claim to be, according to alarming new research, which found that so-called jars of ‘honey’ are stuffed with cheap sweeteners such as rice syrup and sugar beet.

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

Last year, a study in the EU found that almost half of 147 honey samples, including ten from Britain, were ‘fraudulent’ and contained something other than the pure honey listed on the ingredients list.

Almost £90 million of the sweet substance is imported into this country every year, with the majority 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 relabeled to trick shoppers into buying it.

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

Not only do we pay way too much for it, but fake honey doesn’t provide any of the benefits of real honey – and experts say it can even be bad for your health.

‘Good honey has amazing health benefits, especially when applied topically,’ says Julie Macken, an Oxfordshire beekeeper who runs natural skincare brand Neve’s Bees.

‘It helps with wound healing, pimples and sore throat. Many people are aware that a spoonful a day helps allergies – the theory is that the local pollen in the honey helps. You need real honey for this to work.”

Other health-promoting effects of real honey include boosting metabolism, lowering cholesterol and aiding digestion. Imitation jars, on the other hand, offer nothing more than 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 point of view, it is important to remember that honey is still classified as a free sugar, just like table sugar, meaning it is 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 fine print on the package.

‘Always look at the label, even if it has cute pictures of the English countryside or claims to support British beekeeping,’ she says.

Nine out of 10 honey products on British supermarket shelves are not what they claim to be, according to alarming new research

‘Most honey, even from the big brands, comes from many countries – China, Kenya and Mexico – and not from English wildflowers.’

Don’t be fooled by the words ‘Packed in the UK’. This just means that the honey, wherever it originally came from, was jarred and labeled here.

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

Buying direct from a producer, independent retailer or farm shop also means you’re more likely to get the real deal. Nichola suggests looking for “reputable brands and trusted suppliers with 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 produce undergoes a higher level of control and British honey is more strictly controlled than imported products,’ she adds.

Also look at the price. At my nearest supermarket, the jars range from as little as 75p (for simple own-brand liquid honey) to a steep £4.20 (for pure organic wildflower honey).

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

So-called jars of ‘honey’ are packed with cheap sweeteners such as rice syrup and sugar beets

If you’re still unsure, Ella suggests three quick and easy home tests that 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 will caramelize,” she explains.

‘Second, put some honey in a glass of water. Fake honey will dissolve, at least partially, while real honey will settle to the bottom of the glass.”

Finally, you can see what happens over time: If real honey is stored in a cool, dark place for several months, it will naturally crystallize, harden and develop a grainier texture. “Fake honey,” Ella says, “not.”