In Greek mythology, the gods owed their immortality to honey, among other things. That was long ago. The world hasn’t gotten any better since – and honey is a reflection of nature. So Öko-Test has to find out that sugar syrup is involved in two honey brands.
All sorts of health benefits are attributed to the natural product honey per se. Among other things, it is intended to provide relief for gastrointestinal complaints, wounds and colds. In addition, honey is produced by the universally appreciated bees. In addition, the sweet mixture tastes good to many and therefore regularly ends up on bread, in tea or muesli. The per capita consumption in Germany is almost one kilo per year.
Apart from that, honey primarily contains sugar and like this should only be consumed in moderation. Children in the first year of life should not eat honey at all. Otherwise, of course, it should also taste good and its quality should be right.
However, this is not always the case, as Öko-Test found in a study of 19 sticky sugar solutions at prices between 2.99 and 12.68 euros per 500 grams. For this purpose, organic blossom honeys in particular were tested for cleanliness, smell, taste and critical substances. Some of these are specific varietal honeys such as acacia or rapeseed honey.
Result of the investigation? Six honeys fail with “poor” or “insufficient”. The laboratory commissioned by the testers found strong impurities in the “Langnese Fleet Bee Organic Blossom Honey” (“insufficient”). A “brownish background” was shown under the microscope. It is normal for honey to contain plant fibers and bee hair. After all, there is a lot going on in the beehive when the hive bees suck up the resulting honey several times with their proboscis, let it out again or use their wings to thicken it faster. However, the laboratory found amounts of dirt in the Langnese product that significantly exceeded the usual level.
In the “Dennreeblossom honey, creamy” (“inadequate”) and in the “Real German honey, rape honey, creamy” from the Högler beekeeping (“inadequate”), sugar syrup was detected in the products. According to the law, beekeepers and producers are not allowed to add any additives or other ingredients to the honey. So also no sugar or sugar syrup.
Spray poisons were only found in one conventional product, the “Happiness honey from rapeseed blossoms” (“unsatisfactory”). But then three times over. Only traces of the spray poison carbendazim, which is probably reproductively toxic, but the pesticides acetamiprid and thiacloprid in a content that Öko-Test classifies as “increased”. The “Breitsamer Bio Acacia Honey” (“poor”) from Germany fails because only five percent of the pollen comes from the acacia. But it would have to be at least 20 percent for the product to be able to call itself acacia honey.
Otherwise, the quality of the other honeys is generally okay. Eight tested products are “very good” and three are “good” – all in organic quality. The best grades were awarded to: “Alnatura acacia honey” (8.99 euros), “Bihophar organic fair trade honey creamy” from Fürsten-Reform (5.49 euros), “DM organic acacia honey” (8.90 euros), ” Good organic honey creamy” from Aldi Nord/Aldi Süd (4.19 euros). “K-Bio Spreadable Honey Creamy” from Kaufland (4.19 euros) and “Rewe Organic Mexican Multi-Flower Honey Creamy” (4.39 euros).
