A new investigation by SRF has accused supermarkets in Switzerland of selling fake honey. The overwhelming majority of honeys tested showed traces of contamination.

Vast majority of honey sold in Switzerland is tampered with

With each resident eating an average of 1,3 kilograms a year, Switzerland is one of the biggest consumers of honey in the world. However, a new study from SRF’s Kassensturz programme has revealed that there is a dark secret behind the country’s adored sweet treat.

To find out what was being sold on the shelves, the program took 20 different brands of honey sold at Swiss supermarkets and put them through a DNA analysis. This was to check that the jars contained the harmless parasites, pathogens and bacteria that are present in “authentic” honey.

Amazingly, they found that only three of the 20 brands contained “pure” honey. In fact, of all the brands sold across the cantons by the likes of Globus, Aldi, Migros, Spar, Coop and others, only the three “Swiss-made” brands were given the all-clear.

Honey one of the easiest products to fake

Speaking to Watson, Swiss Beekeepers’ Association director Mathias Götti Limacher explained that honey is one of the easiest products in the world to counterfeit. Its high sugar content means that it can be easily diluted with cheaper sweeteners like beet syrup. What’s more, “it is impossible to detect contamination with the naked eye" or via taste.

Götti Limacher added that counterfeiters are constantly coming up with new ways to sell fake honey. "The business is so lucrative that they invest a lot to always be one step ahead, just like in the world of sports doping."

Why is Swiss honey unaffected?

As to why Swiss-made brands were given the all-clear, the expert noted that locally produced honey is held to a far higher standard by the government. For instance, by law, they are not allowed to harvest or sell honey produced if the bees are fed with sugar water during cold spells in the summer.

Finally, Götti Limacher noted that, unlike local brands, companies that produce and import honey from overseas go to great pains to make sure that it tastes the same in every batch - honey changes its flavour naturally depending on the origin and type of flowers the bees use. This means that they mix honey from different origins, raising the chances of it being flagged as fake.