The sticky problem of detecting fake honey
By 
Nina Notman2026-08-17T09:29:00
Nobody knows how much of the honey we buy is pure or adulterated, as detecting fraud remains surprisingly difficult. Nina Notman examines why finding fake honey is so analytically challenging — and what researchers are doing about it.
Honey looks simple: bees make it, we spread it on toast. But behind the jar lies a bitter dispute over food fraud, global trade and the limits of modern science. As fears grow that some honey is being diluted with cheap sugar syrups, researchers are racing to develop tests that can separate genuine adulteration from honey’s naturally complex chemistry. The result is a surprisingly sticky debate that has left scientists, beekeepers and importers divided over what’s really in our honey.