If you watched the Netflix doccie Rotten you’re probably up to date on #HoneyGate. For everyone else, here’s what’s happening.

Producers of honey in South Africa have been scamming SA consumers and threatening the livelihood of the entire industry. What most people think is honey is actually processed sugar water, with (maybe) a bit of honey in it.

Food24 made a video to fill you in on the basics:

Peels, South Africa’s oldest honey brand, has weighed in on the scandal. Here’s The Citizen:

Fake and adulterated honey is becoming the norm in South Africa: product that is sold as honey, but which is actually a mix of sugar, water, and – if consumers are lucky – some honey, says Peels… It adds that this is fraud committed on consumers, putting consumers’ health at risk, undermining the South African beekeeping industry’s viability and threatening South Africa’s agriculture and food security in general…

The company has called on the department of agriculture and forestry to take urgent action. A necessary step considering the impact on South Africa’s social, economic and agricultural well-being if the honey industry folds:

Beekeepers play a critical role in ensuring that South African commercial crops are able to compete in global markets by providing pollination services. They are thus are a key component of the South African agricultural industry. The continuing demise of the South African beekeeping industry will be detrimental to consumers, agricultural jobs, commercial farmers, and the South African economy alike.

If you thought you could spot the difference between the fake and the real thing, you might be wrong. Fake honey has made it onto the shelves of a number of prominent supermarkets, in part because retailers aren’t complying with food labelling regulations:

This is evident from the labels of product on shelves blatantly not complying, with most labels giving no indication of the products’ countries of origin, not meeting legal design requirements, and not providing a clear indication of the type of honey supplied. All that makes it impossible for even a reasonably circumspect consumer to understand or appreciate what they are purchasing.

To combat this problem, Peels is advocating for the formation of a National Beekeeping Plan that will work to ensure the future of the beekeeping industry as a competitive and internationally recognised sector.

In the interim, I’m going back to sugar in my tea.

[sources:thecitizen food24]