By Laura Beatriz Pacheco | 2023-10-13

BUENOS AIRES –- The rise in various forms of adulterated, low-price honey from China poses a significant threat to crucial beekeeping markets, notably affecting countries like Argentina, a top Latin American exporter.

Corner-cutting in various ways by Chinese honey producers has started a price war on the global market. Argentine honey producers can compete on quality but not in a race to the bottom on price.

Argentina is the third-largest global exporter of honey, following New Zealand and China.

In 2022, Argentina's honey exports hit a high of $247 million. However, during the first half of 2023, there was a noticeable decrease, with exports totaling approximately $95 million, according to the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries.

"In Argentina, we experience a diverse range of climates, making beekeeping possible across the nation and offering ample capacity for production and variety," said beekeeper Martín Landini, based in the Tigre Nature Reserve near Buenos Aires, in a conversation with Entorno.

Of the annual honey production exceeding 75,000 tons, Argentina earmarks more than 90% for export, primarily in bulk. The primary destinations for these exports are the United States (62%) and Germany (13%), the world's top importers of this natural product.

Global threat

Chinese honey producers engage in various ways of cutting quality and price, including calling something honey even if it contains only syrup, and mixing honey with syrup.

Chinese producers also mix Chinese honey with syrup and European honey so that the concoction can be labeled as of "European origin," enabling the cheap "honey" to be sold throughout Europe and billed as a premium European product.

Argentine processing and honey foreign trade specialist Norberto García Girou told Entorno that while the issue is quite pronounced in Argentina, it adversely affects other Latin American exporting nations like Mexico, Cuba, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay. He emphasized that this situation represents a "global threat to beekeeping."

"If adulteration remains uncontrolled, the future of genuine global beekeeping appears bleak, regardless of the country. Honey, as an artisanal product, is becoming increasingly challenging to produce and cannot compete [with the prices] of other industrial sweeteners," said García Girou.

Having studied this issue for more than a decade, he issues a stark warning: if honey tampering is not curtailed, it will inevitably "spell the end of commercial beekeeping."

In recent years, beekeepers worldwide have witnessed significant losses in their colonies, primarily due to various anthropogenic factors. This situation substantially threatens ecosystems and biodiversity, given the crucial role that bees and other pollinators play in ensuring human existence and food security.

Even as honey becomes harder to produce, demand for it has surged in recent years. Factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing trend of adopting healthier living habits have significantly contributed to this increase.

"How is it that supermarkets continue to stock jars of honey while bee populations are dwindling?" asked Landini.

"We're discussing a highly unique food -- it's not just an ordinary item. Honey possesses valuable anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antibiotic properties."

However "when you purchase a small bottle of honey at the supermarket labeled as 'honey,' in reality, you're not receiving any of those benefits; it's essentially pure sugar," he said, referring to some of the honey imitations infiltrating the market.

Suspicious consignments from China

Controlling the adulteration of this valuable food with sugary syrup is becoming progressively more challenging, even with advanced analytical methods. This is a concerning issue for the European Union, which more buys more than 22% of Argentine honey exports.

In 2015, the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety of the European Commission initiated the coordinated control plan "From the Hives," involving 16 member states. Samples collected between 2021 and 2022 as part of this analysis revealed that a number of them failed to meet the purity parameters.

The highest absolute number of suspicious consignments originated from China (66 out of 89 consignments, i.e., 74%). However, honey from Turkey (14 out of 15 consignments, i.e., 93%) had the highest percentage of suspicious samples, as indicated by the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety of the European Commission report.

The study involved a total of 320 samples, predominantly sourced from China, Ukraine, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil and Turkey.

The challenge of detecting honey tampering in Europe is exacerbated by the Union Customs Code, which allows Chinese honey to legally acquire the designation of origin of countries such as Spain, further complicating oversight.

According to a 2021 research report titled "The enigmatic issue of Chinese honey," by the Coordinator of Farmers and Livestock Organizations of Spain (COAG), leveraging this code allows "operators within various EU member states to blend honey harvested in Spain and China."

Those unscrupulous businesses carefully manipulate the proportions to ensure that Spanish honey "constitutes over 50% by weight of the mixture, consequently obtaining a new origin label, like 'Product of Spain,' for the final product."

Industry insiders like García Girou, a member of the International Federation of Beekeeping Associations (APIMONDIA), said a vital strategy in combating adulteration, alongside increasing consumer awareness, is the global standardization of honey regulations.

"The standards serve as a definitive reference for judges and legal disputes. Resolving such issues effectively requires decisive action by the competent authorities," the expert suggested.

García Girou said he is convinced that while it is challenging to eradicate this phenomenon, it can certainly be brought under control to ensure the "regular development of the market."

This point is crucial, he said, as honey is not only a vital economic product but also a means of sustenance for numerous families across Latin America.