Honey will be shut out of next year's World Beekeeping Awards for the first time after investigations found evidence of fraudulent ingredients in the global supply. The move affecting the congress in Copenhagen was "necessitated by the inability to have honey fully tested for adulteration," the International Federation of Beekeepers' Associations said in a statement. The European Commission found last year that 46% of sampled honey products were suspected of being illegally manipulated—probably by adding cheaper sugar syrups for bulk, the BBC reports.
"It's just unbelievable if the world organization for all beekeepers cannot guarantee the authenticity of honey," said the head of the European beekeepers group, per the Guardian. "The scale of this fraud is huge." The immediate challenge is testing; some tests in use to detect fraud can be beaten. Beekeepers blame food watchdogs and the industry for failing to stop the cheating. The federation president said the group is pushing for the development of better tests, per the BBC; university scientists this year reported they have a way to spot fake honey without opening the jar. In the meantime, he said the public should know "that local honey is much less likely to be adulterated." (More honey stories.)
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