Your Honey's not Honey, Honey

In 2018, the Melbourne Age, SMH and the ABC's 7.30pm Report exposed a honey scam  that has been rolling around like a tumbleweed for years

In all fairness, it's simple maths more than theory when Interpol believe that up to 35% of 140,000 tonnes of honey coming from China is adulterated, because China simply don't have enough bees to produce that amount of honey. 

Rob Costa, horticulturalist and owner of an almond orchard in Victoria invested a small fortune to test a number of jars of honey sold in Australia to finally prove or disprove the tumbleweeds theory. Costa hired King & Wood Mallesons lawyers and bought 25 different jars of honey from 5 supermarket chains and had them tested. Not at Australian laboratory, but one in Germany. 

The honey was sent to QSI labs in Germany because the lab uses a world class honey screening assessment not available in Australia called NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance). Of the tested 28 jars, they found that 12 contained adulterated honey and this is where they came from.  

• 4 of 6 IGA Honey (Private Brands) 
• 2 of 6 ALDI Honey (Private Brands) 
• 6 of 8 of Capilano's Allowrie Honey 70% Chinese honey

Capillano claims it tests all its honey and there is no reason do believe it doesn't. The problem with the testing done in Australia, the C4 Sugar Test, which Allowrie Honey all passed is that the C4 test is very old and is not capable of testing for a number of substances like Rice Syrup - a common bulking agent.

THERE ARE APPARENTLY HALF A DOZEN DIFFERENT WAYS TO CUT HONEY AND THE REASON IT IS ADULTERATED WITH CORN, BEET, RICE SYRUP IS TO MAKE IT CHEAPER.

So it turns out that Capillano may not actually be the biggest honey retailer in Australia. Just the front for one. 

The Goldsworthy family of Beechworth Honey fame, are one of Australia's biggest honey producers and they make an interesting case for why they have never added imported honey to their product. Even in 2014, when Australia lost a lot of bees in a bad drought and they were faced with running out of honey, they resisted.

WHY DIDN'T THE GOLDSWORTHY FAMILY ADD IMPORTED HONEY TO BULK UP THEIR OWN? THEY LOOKED AT THEIR YOUNG CHILDREN, KNOWING THE RUMOURS ABOUT IMPORTED HONEY AND DECIDED AGAINST. THE LITMUS WAS THAT THEY WOULDN'T FEED IT TO THEIR OWN KIDS. 

In the past decade, through some tough times with drought, disease and price pressure, around 25% of traditional bee keepers have left the industry. New ways of bee keeping has attracted new city entrants like Melbourne City Rooftop Honey and Bee One Third in Brisbane, who are now farming & selling natural, local honey on roof tops around cities. 

In July 2018 Coles supermarkets withdrew all Allowrie products from its shelves. Aldi has withdrawn the QSI lab tested failed honeys. Capillano however continues to claim its honey is pure, despite the fact that they are a financial member of the Australian Bee Industry Council (AHBIC) and have board representation . The honey industry endorses the NMR test & Australian Bee Industry Council (AHBIC) has recommended the test to the Australian government for use in Australia.

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