Is your honey fake? « Euro Weekly News

Bees play a vital role in keeping the countryside alive, pollinating crops and producing one of nature’s most treasured foods. But Spain’s beekeepers are warning that the future of their industry is under serious threat, while shoppers are being urged to think twice before reaching for a jar of honey in the supermarket.

The warning comes amid growing concerns over fraudulent honey imports, with agricultural representatives alleging that cheap Chinese honey is entering Spain through Portugal and potentially being passed off as a European product.

Beekeepers warn of honey fraud

Ángel García Blanco, president of agricultural organisation ASAJA Extremadura, has raised the alarm over what he describes as a major fraud involving imported honey and cheaper sugar syrups.

He claims that honey originating in China is being channelled through Portugal before reaching the Spanish market, with concerns that its original country of origin is being obscured along the way.

The practice, described as ‘triangulation’, could allow cheaper imports to compete with Spanish honey while giving consumers a misleading impression of where their product comes from.

García Blanco has urged shoppers to check labels carefully and buy honey whose declared country of origin is exclusively Spain.

The concerns come against a wider backdrop of food fraud across Europe. The European Commission previously found that 46 per cent of imported honey samples examined during a coordinated investigation were suspicious of failing to meet EU rules. Investigators identified the use of cheaper syrups, including rice, maize and other sugar-based alternatives, to increase volumes and disguise the true composition of honey.

Why Portugal is under scrutiny

Import figures have added to the concerns.

According to García Blanco, Spain imported 8,067 tonnes of honey from Portugal during the first six months of 2026, at an average price of €1.55 per kilo.

During the same period, China exported 5,648 tonnes of honey to Portugal at an average price of just €1.08 per kilo.

Spanish producers face a very different financial reality, with production costs estimated at around €5 per kilo.

The figures have fuelled suspicions among agricultural representatives that cheaper Chinese supplies are being routed through neighbouring European countries before reaching Spanish buyers. However, the trade figures alone do not establish that individual consignments have been fraudulently relabelled.

New rules, but can shoppers trust the label?

New European labelling requirements came into force in June 2026, requiring honey blends to identify their countries of origin in descending order, alongside their respective percentages, subject to specific provisions for smaller shares.

Previously, labels could simply describe products as blends of EU and non-EU honey, leaving shoppers with little idea of where their purchase originated.

The changes are intended to give consumers greater transparency, although the industry says more effective testing and enforcement are needed to tackle adulteration.

Importantly, blending honey from different countries is not illegal in itself. The problem arises when cheaper syrups are added or the product’s true composition or origin is misrepresented.

Spanish beekeepers fighting for survival

The honey controversy is just one part of a much bigger crisis for Spain’s apiculture industry.

COAG and UPA estimate that the country’s honey harvest has suffered losses of between 50 and 80 per cent during the latest campaign.

Spain has around 2.74 million beehives, approximately 360,000 fewer than five years ago. National production also fell from 36,390 tonnes in 2018 to 29,350 tonnes in 2025.

Beekeepers are battling a combination of threats, including the varroa mite, which weakens and kills bee colonies, Asian hornets, drought and the European bee-eater, a protected bird that feeds on bees.

Rising diesel prices are adding further pressure, particularly for beekeepers who transport their hives between different areas in search of flowering crops.

With cheaper imports adding to the competition, Spanish producers fear that an industry already struggling to survive could face further losses.

For shoppers, the message from the sector is simple: check the small print, look closely at the country of origin and consider buying directly from a local Spanish beekeeper.