Bees face crisis due to counterfeit honey flooding markets, threatening industry and consumers.
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The beekeeping industry, particularly in Lithuania and other EU countries, faces a crisis due to an influx of non-authentic honey from third countries, leading some farms toward bankruptcy. Testing conducted by the Lithuanian Beekeepers’ Association revealed that seven out of ten honey samples tested were counterfeit, essentially processed sugar disguised as real honey. Similar issues have been found in Latvia, where 14 out of 20 samples were deemed inauthentic. This situation is exacerbated by low market prices for genuine honey compared to cheap imported alternatives, often from China. Experts warn that if measures are not taken, the beekeeping sector could collapse. Consumers are being misled, and legitimate producers are suffering financial losses due to unfair competition. To protect consumers, experts advise buying directly from beekeepers or carefully reading labels in stores, avoiding products labeled as “honey mix” which often contain significant amounts of non-EU honey. The EU is responding with the “Breakfast Directive,” which aims to mandate origin labeling and transparency for food items like honey, requiring countries to implement these rules by 2025 for application from 2026. However, experts stress that consumer awareness is crucial for any regulation to be effective.
