In recent years, the situation of honey and more generally of bees throughout Europe has worried, and not a little. On the one hand there is the problem of the authenticity and safety of the product, on the other the fate of pollinating insects, crucial for our own survival.
Recent inspections in Germany they revealed that Almost 1 in 5 honey sample was irregular and not compliant. What does it mean? That the honey in question was adulterated with sugary or contaminated syrups and in some cases it was even completely unsuitable for human consumption. A problem that does not concern only a misleading labeling but also the presence of impurities or pesticides, which compromise the quality and safety of the product.
In other words, a significant part of honey on the market (at least in Germany) may not respect the food safety standards, putting at risk not only consumers, but also the health of bees and the entire ecosystem that depends on their pollinating activity.
To find out, it was the recent Report of the Rhine-Palatinated Ministry of the Environment Which in the last five years (between 2019 and 2024) has examined 746 samples of honey, of which 135 (about 18%) were precisely problematic. The situation led to penalties and retreats from the market as well as an intensification of controls to ensure consumer safety.
The main cause of these irregularities is the adulteration of honey, However, the Ministry has excluded links between these fraud and organized crime.
Just to face this situation, the German beekeepers association launched the EU Harmhoney project. The goal is to promote the fight against fraud on honey through harmonized analysis methods and uniform standard. The project is supported by various European research institutes to guarantee precise and reliable tests on the quality of honey.
And in Italy?
Although in Italy there have been no irregularities of this reach, the traces of pesticides remain worrying that threaten the health of bees and, consequently, also the production of honey.
The results of the recent test of Life jacket On Millefiori honey, of which we talked in a previous article, they showed that out of 14 samples only a product had a non -compliance. However, the analysis highlighted a problem not to be underestimated: the presence of pesticides, including the neonicotinoids, known for their devastating effects on bees. These substances continue to represent a threat to the colonies of Italian bees, which are already under stress due to climate change.
As we read on Libbage:
What the report of the Ministry of the Environment of the Bundesregierung environment does not say, unfortunately, is the intrusiveness of pesticides in the product of bees. From the workshops used by the life preserver the situation on this front does not seem to be reassuring, given that Even on the Italian product, much cleaner than the German one, there is no shortage of pesticide presences. And, disturbing particular, The traces of neonicotinoids abound, the phytopharmacies that have the effect, now proven, to kill bees or disoriently decim by decimating the colonies. There are still too many killers of bees, unfortunately, allowed in our country.
One of the most worrying results of the Italian test was the discovery of acetamiprid, A neonicotineid pesticide, whose traces have been detected in 9 of the 14 samples analyzed, highlighting that the pollution from phytoopharmacus remains an unsolved problem.
Even more serious is the presence of Thiacloprid, Another neonicotinoide that has been prohibited since 2021, found in three champions of large retailers brands. In addition, two honeys contained traces of spirotetramat, a well -known insecticide to interfere with the human hormonal system and which will be permanently prohibited by October 2025.
The persistence of these pesticides in the environment indicates that bees continue to collect them during flowering, despite the regulations that limit their use in certain stages of cultivation.
The situation of our country, therefore, may seem less serious than the German one, but the signs of danger are actually all there, especially for bees threatened by these toxic substances.
The situation of honey in Europe highlights a complex and worrying framework, in which both product safety and bees health are seriously threatened. The new legislation on the honey labeling, adopted last year, represent a step forward to ensure greater transparency and food safety but to really protect bees and the environment, Europe must do more.
We hope that more stringent policies will soon be adopted regarding pesticides to prevent these substances from continuing to endanger the colonies of bees.
