Not all honey is what it claims to be. In South Africa and globally, many commercial honeys are heavily processed or even diluted with sugar syrups — meaning you’re not always getting what the label promises.
Whether you’re chasing honey for health, sweetness, or skincare, here are 7 easy ways to tell if your honey is raw, real, and pure.
It’s not just that the honey brand is ripping you off, it’s that it is missing all the important ingredients that make honey valuable. Ingrediants such as:
Bumble & Bee believe in keeping honey just the way the bees have made it. There is nothing added, and nothing taken away.
But how do you tell if your purchase is the real deal or not?
Flip that jar over before you do anything else, and look for the following words:
“Raw”, “Unfiltered”, or “Unheated”
These words mean that there was minimal processing involved.
“Honey blend” or “Glucose syrup”
Avoid these words at all cost! These words indicate fake or diluted honey.
Pro tip: If the ingredient list mentions anything other than “100% pure honey,” it’s not the real deal.
This quick home test gives you a clue:
How to do it:
If this is real honey, then you will notice that it clumps together and sinks to the bottom.
Fake honey will have added sugars and syrup resulting in the honey quickly dissolving in the water.
Drop a little bit of honey onto your thumb and wait a few seconds.
Real honey will hold its form and then slowly spread.
Adulterated honey runs off your thumb immediately and easily due to the added moisture or sugar.
Your crystallised honey is showing signs of the real deal!
Over time your real honey crystalises as it contains natural pollen, wax, and sugars in its natural form. This is especially so in colder weather.
If your honey stays in a syrupy form for years, then you may have ultra-processed honey.
If you smell pure honey, you will notice a delicate floral or botanical aroma.
It’s not just sweet-tasting but will have a complex taste with layers.
The fake honey will be overly sweet. It will smell like syrup nd have a flat taste.
Cheap honey = fake honey. Why is this?
To harvest raw honey takes a lot of time, effort, keeping healthy bees and making sure that the harvest process is ethical and humane.
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