Why Fake Honey Is a Growing Global Problem (And How to Spot It)

Honey is one of the most frequently adulterated foods in the world. Globally, it's mixed with glucose syrup, rice syrup, and cane sugar — then relabelled as pure. In December 2025, Australian industry testing found some imported honey in supermarkets was not entirely honey. Here's how to protect yourself, what to look for on a label, and why independent laboratory testing matters more than marketing claims.

Key Points

• Honey adulteration typically involves diluting honey with cheap sugar syrups (rice syrup, glucose syrup, cane sugar) while labelling it "pure"
• Australia imported 9,000 tonnes of honey in 2024, predominantly from China, Malaysia, and Thailand
• Australian industry testing in December 2025 found some pre-packaged imported honey was adulterated — and current border tests may not catch it
• Pollen marker analysis, NMR spectroscopy, and multi-marker testing are the gold-standard authentication methods
• 5 things to check on every honey label before you buy

If you've ever wondered why some supermarket honey never crystallises, stays perfectly pourable for years, and costs less per kilogram than most fruit — that's worth pausing on.

Honey is one of the most adulterated foods on the planet. The global scale of the problem is significant: food fraud researchers and international regulators have consistently flagged honey as a high-risk product for economically motivated adulteration. In simpler terms, it's easy to dilute, hard to detect with older methods, and profitable enough to be worth the deception.

In December 2025, Australian beekeepers published results from testing approximately 30 imported honey samples sourced from supermarkets. The results — analysed by German laboratories using modern techniques — found that several pre-packaged imported honeys were adulterated. The Australian Honey Bee Industry Council chair described the country's existing border testing protocols as "extremely outdated," noting they fail to detect adulterants like rice syrup.

This is not a fringe concern. It's a systemic problem, and Australian consumers deserve better information to navigate it.

How Honey Adulteration Works

The most common form of honey fraud is dilution — replacing a portion of the honey with a cheaper sugar syrup that mimics honey's physical properties. The three most common adulterants are:

Rice syrup — Highly refined, largely flavourless, it blends seamlessly into honey. Critically, it evades the C4 sugar test used by many regulatory agencies (including Australia's Department of Agriculture until recently), which was designed to detect cane or corn syrup specifically.

Glucose/fructose syrups — Derived from maize, wheat, or beet, these are cheap, stable, and widely used in food manufacturing. Added to honey, they increase volume at low cost.

Cane sugar solutions — The simplest form of adulteration. Detectable by traditional C4 testing but still widespread in markets with weak enforcement.

Adulterated honey can look, smell, and even taste like the real thing. At scale, the economics are compelling: a kilogram of genuine Jarrah or Manuka honey might be worth $50–$200. A kilogram of blended syrup with a small honey percentage costs a fraction of that to produce.

A second form of fraud is mislabelling — genuine honey relabelled with a false geographic origin (e.g., labelling Chinese honey as Australian) or with inflated quality claims (e.g., calling ordinary honey "raw," "active," or "medicinal grade" without supporting test data).

The Australian Import Picture

In 2024, Australia imported 9,000 tonnes of honey — with China supplying the largest volume (3,500 tonnes), followed by Malaysia and Thailand. These countries are not necessarily producing adulterated honey, but they are also major hubs for the re-processing and re-exporting of bulk honey from multiple origin countries, which complicates traceability.

Under the Imported Food Inspection Scheme, only around 5% of honey shipments are randomly tested. From 2020 to 2024, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) reported a 97% average compliance rate using existing test methods. However, as the December 2025 industry testing demonstrated, the existing C4-based test framework may not be catching all forms of adulteration — particularly rice syrup.

DAFF has since indicated it is conducting a pilot survey to evaluate whether border testing methods need to be updated. That review is ongoing.

How Scientists Authenticate Honey: The Modern Methods

The science of honey authentication has advanced significantly in recent years. A landmark 2024 paper by Islam, Barbour, and Locher, published in PeerJ Chemistry, examined pollen marker analysis as a method for authenticating Australian honey — confirming that the botanical and geographic origin of honey leaves a measurable, chemical fingerprint that adulterated products cannot replicate.

The leading methods now used globally include:

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy — Creates a full molecular fingerprint of the honey, comparing it against a reference database of known genuine honeys. This is the method used by German labs in the 2025 Australian industry testing.

Pollen marker analysis — Pollen grains in honey are species-specific and region-specific. Genuine WA Jarrah honey carries pollen from Eucalyptus marginata trees. Adulterated honey either lacks this pollen signature or shows inconsistency between claimed origin and actual pollen content.

Isotope ratio analysis — Distinguishes sugar molecules originating from different plant sources (C3 vs C4 photosynthesis pathways), helping identify certain forms of syrup addition.

Multi-marker approaches — Combining several methods simultaneously provides the most robust authentication. This is the standard used by leading honey producers for export markets with strict import requirements.

🍯 Forest Fresh Honey products with Certificate of Analysis
Every batch independently tested across 5 laboratories. Full COA available on request.
Shop Forest Fresh Honey →

5 Things to Check on Every Honey Label

Not all of this complexity falls on the consumer — but there are practical checks that meaningfully reduce your risk of buying adulterated or mislabelled honey.

1. Check the country of origin. Australian honey labelling requires the country of origin to be stated. "Product of Australia" means the honey was produced in Australia. "Made in Australia from imported ingredients" or no clear statement should prompt further scrutiny. Single-origin honeys (e.g., "Western Australian Jarrah") are more traceable.

2. Look for specific activity ratings with independent lab backing. Terms like "active," "raw," and "medicinal grade" are not legally defined in Australia (more on this in our honey standards guide). Genuine bioactive honeys should carry a Total Activity (TA) rating or MGO level verified by an independent laboratory — and ideally a Certificate of Analysis you can reference.

3. Crystallisation is a good sign. Genuine raw honey crystallises over time. Some varieties do so faster than others (Jarrah crystallises slowly due to its high fructose content; most Australian honeys crystallise within weeks to months at room temperature). Honey that never crystallises after extended storage is worth questioning.

4. A Certificate of Analysis (COA) is the gold standard. Any reputable producer of premium honey should be able to provide a COA for each batch — a document from an accredited laboratory confirming the honey's composition, activity level, and that it meets purity standards.

5. Price is a signal, not a guarantee. Premium prices don't guarantee quality — but suspiciously low prices for premium claims (e.g., "MGO 1000+" honey at $15/jar) are a strong signal to investigate further. Genuine high-activity honey is expensive to produce and to test.

How Forest Fresh Honey Verifies Every Batch

Forest Fresh Honey operates a 5-laboratory independent validation process for every batch — not as a marketing exercise, but because it's the only way to genuinely stand behind every jar.

The testing covers antimicrobial activity (Total Activity rating), hydrogen peroxide activity, pollen identification and geographic origin, moisture and composition, and our proprietary Jarrah Factor™ standard. Each batch receives a Certificate of Analysis that we make available to customers on request.

Our honey is produced in Western Australia's Jarrah forests — a specific, traceable origin with a measurable pollen signature. When Islam, Barbour, and Locher (2024) validated pollen marker analysis as an authentication method for Australian honey, they were confirming exactly the kind of traceability that genuine single-origin WA honey carries.

We operate under the understanding that in a market where adulteration is real and growing, the only legitimate response is transparency. Five generations of the Fewster family have been packing Western Australian honey since 1916 — and that continuity is itself a form of accountability.

Read more: What Is Jarrah Honey? The Complete Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is fake honey a real problem in Australia, or just overseas?
A: It's a real problem in Australia. In December 2025, Australian beekeepers' own testing found some imported honey sold in Australian supermarkets was adulterated. Australia imports 9,000 tonnes of honey annually, and current border testing protocols have been described as "extremely outdated" by the Honey Bee Industry Council.

Q: What is the most common type of honey adulteration?
A: Dilution with cheap sugar syrups — particularly rice syrup, glucose syrup, or cane sugar solutions — while labelling the product as pure honey. Rice syrup is especially problematic because it can evade older C4-based test methods used at Australian borders.

Q: How can I tell if honey is real at home?
A: There's no fully reliable home test. Crystallisation over time is a positive indicator of genuine honey. Price that seems too low for claimed quality is a warning sign. The most reliable protection is buying from producers who provide third-party lab Certificates of Analysis.

Q: Does "100% Australian Honey" on a label mean it's pure?
A: Australian origin claims are regulated and generally reliable — the issue is predominantly with imported honey. However, "Australian" origin doesn't automatically guarantee activity rating, raw status, or premium quality. Look for specific batch testing and COA documentation alongside origin claims.

Q: What does a Certificate of Analysis (COA) for honey include?
A: A genuine honey COA from an accredited laboratory will typically include pollen identification, moisture content, antimicrobial activity (TA, MGO, or similar), hydrogen peroxide activity, sugar composition, and confirmation that the honey meets applicable food standards. Ask any premium honey producer for their COA before purchasing.

Q: Is Forest Fresh Honey tested for adulteration?
A: Yes. Every Forest Fresh Honey batch is validated across 5 independent laboratories, which includes compositional and pollen analysis that confirms geographic origin and purity. A Certificate of Analysis is available for every product on request.

Written by Matt Fewster, 5th generation of the Fewster family and co-founder of Forest Fresh Honey.

Sources: - ABC News — Testing on supermarket imported honey finds some is not all honey (December 2025): https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-10/testing-finds-some-imported-honey-not-honey/106119344 - Islam, Barbour, Locher (2024) — Pollen marker authentication of Australian honey, PeerJ Chemistry: https://peerj.com/articles/achem-33/ - ACCC — Honey investigation concludes due to testing uncertainty (2018): https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/honey-investigation-concludes-due-to-testing-uncertainty - IndexBox — Australia Honey Market Forecast 2024: https://www.indexbox.io/blog/honey-australia-market-overview-2024-6/ - Stellar Market Research — Manuka Honey Market, global adulteration estimates: https://www.stellarmr.com/report/manuka-honey-market/2668