A honey dipper, up close. A person takes the dipper out of a bowl of honey while honey slowly drips off of it.

How To Check if Your Honey Contains Hidden Additives

Honey is one of the world’s most perfect foods. Not only is it sweet and flavorful, but it can also accommodate multiple recipes as an ingredient, adding a little extra energy and nutrition. Human beings have relied on honey for centuries for its unique taste, sweetness, and nutritional benefits.

What’s more, raw honey is one of the most natural food items out there. Unfortunately, most of the honey you see at the store and in restaurants has been adulterated with hidden additives such as sugar syrup, corn syrup, and artificial flavorings. These additives significantly reduce honey’s nutritional benefits.

This guide will help you identify the healthiest choices for you and your family if you want to make sure the honey you’re eating is the best and most nutritious. Here’s how to check if your honey contains hidden additives.

What Makes Pure Honey Special?

What’s so special about pure honey? Pure honey, also known as raw honey, is honey in its most natural form. Raw honey producers remove the product directly from the honeycomb without putting it through excessive processing. Raw honey retains all its natural enzymes, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, making it a potent superfood with numerous health benefits. These benefits include:

  • A boost in immunity, as raw honey possesses antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
  • A quick and sustained energy boost from raw honey’s natural sugars.
  • A digestion aid, as raw honey enzymes help break down food and may improve gastrointestinal health.
  • Wound healing, as raw honey has antiseptic properties. Many have used it to treat wounds and burns throughout human history.
Two chunks of honeycomb, side by side, dripping with thick honey. The honey spreads on a white surface.

The Problem With Hidden Additives

Unfortunately, not all honey sold in stores is pure, and all that good stuff in raw honey tends to break down, or the producer replaces it with modern food additives. Some manufacturers add cheap sweeteners such as sugar syrup, corn syrup, and other artificial ingredients to extend their supplies, increase volume, and reduce costs. These additives dilute honey’s natural nutritional value and may even pose health risks, especially for people with allergies or sensitivities to certain ingredients.

How To Spot Adulterated Honey

Become a honey detective! Identifying adulterated honey is a challenge, but with a few tips, you can become a savvy consumer and ensure you’re getting the real deal.

Read the Label

Here’s the first and most obvious tactic. Carefully read the container’s label. Look for these key indicators:

  • Ingredients list: HONEY. That’s the only thing you should see listed on the label of a container of raw honey. Extra ingredients such as glucose, fructose, or high fructose corn syrup are your first pieces of evidence that your honey is “unnatural.” Avoid labels listing extra ingredients if you’re looking for the pure stuff.
  • Organic certification: Organic honey is less likely to contain additives. Look for certifications from reputable organizations. Also, independent honey dealers are likelier to deal only in organic honey.
  • Country of origin: Some countries have stricter regulations for honey production. Honey from countries known for stringent quality controls is more likely to be pure.

Conduct a Water Test

Here’s a fun way to test your honey for hidden additives. Conduct the water test. Place a teaspoon of honey in a glass of water. Pure honey will settle at the bottom and not dissolve easily, while adulterated honey quickly dissolves due to added sugars and syrups.

Try the Thumb Test

Ready to get your hands dirty—or at least sticky? Place a small drop of honey on your thumb while holding it over the sink or trash. If the honey spreads or spills, it may contain extra water or other liquids. Pure honey remains intact and won’t spread out over your thumb.

Perform a Heat Test

Add a few drops of honey to a spoon, then heat it over a flame (be safe and use the stove or a candle versus a match or lighter). Pure honey caramelizes quickly and won’t foam. Adulterated honey, due to the presence of extra sugar or water, may produce foam.

Crystallization

Still not sure about the bottle of honey in your cabinet? Pure honey crystallizes over time, forming solid particles. Your honey might be adulterated if it remains in a liquid state for an extra long time.

Taste and Aroma

Take a taste or a whiff. Pure honey has a distinct taste and aroma that varies depending on the flowers from which the bees collected nectar. Adulterated honey may have a bland, overly sweet taste due to the presence of added sugars. Train your palate over time. You’ll soon get a grip on the differences between clover and wildflower or manuka and buckwheat flower honey and their watered-down and adulterated versions.

Five different types of honey sticks, up close, in various shades and tones sticking out of yellow tubes.

The Importance of Choosing Pure Honey

We’ve addressed a few of the main reasons for insisting on unadulterated honey, but here are a few more to keep in mind. Above all things, it’s not about snobbery. Choosing pure honey is essential for maximizing its health benefits and avoiding potential health risks associated with adulterated honey. Not only is unadulterated honey more nutritional and full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, but it’s also less likely to contain things that are less beneficial to your health. It’s important to remember, of course, that all honey contains bee products that may harm those with bee allergies, but adulterated honey can also hold extra ingredients that compromise good health. Additionally, pure honey is also more likely to be morally pure. Buying it supports ethical beekeepers who practice sustainable agriculture.

How To Find Reliable Honey Suppliers

Pick a reliable supplier to ensure you’re getting pure honey. Keep the following tips handy to find trustworthy sources of honey:

  • Look for reputable brands known for their commitment to quality and transparency.
  • Read customer reviews to gain insight into the quality and authenticity of the seller’s honey products.
  • Visit local farmers markets, as they often have small-scale beekeepers who sell pure, unprocessed honey compared to big box stores that sell processed honey.
  • Don’t hesitate to ask suppliers about their honey production methods and sourcing practices if you run a store, restaurant, or other business that provides food and drink. You don’t want to cheat your customers, some of whom prefer their honey to be pure and organic.

That’s our quick and handy guide detailing how to check if your honey contains hidden additives. Remember, investing in pure honey is an investment in your health! Contact us for more information on finding the best honey. We sell honey in all forms and formats, from jars to raw honey sticks!

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