Turkey is one of the most important players in the world honey market. After China it is the second honey supplier in the world. Production is up to 115,000 tonnes per year and corresponds to 25% of Chinese production. The top five of the top honey producers include – in addition to China and Turkey – Ethiopia, Iran and India.

In Turkey There are about 100,000 beekeepers with about nine million hives. According to the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture, about 500 companies are currently operating in beekeeping, with their annual turnover reaching around 270m euros. Turkey is an important supplier of honey in Germany. After the US, Germany is the second in a quantity of Turkish honey importer.

The beekeeping sector in Turkey, however, is facing an unprecedented crisis. In the country, more and more adulterated honey is being produced, forcing the Turkish law enforcement authorities to take action. In recent months several tons of distorted honey have been seized in numerous police raids.

Ankara: Center for the Production of Address Honey

During an attack in Ankara last September they were identified 8.150 tonnes of glucose, fructose and sugaras well as 100,000 labels of various honey brands. However, the actual extent of the production of distorted honey in Turkey remains unknown.

Usually the distorted honey is mixed with sugar syrup. If a product contains artificial aromas, pigments, sweeteners, glucose, corn syrup or artificial honeycomb, it is not allowed to be sold as honey. When this happens nevertheless, it is characterized as falsified or distorted. In the last quarter of 2024, the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture published lists of 43 producers of distorted honey in Turkey. Ankara is considered a center for the production of adulterated honey in the country.

Ziya Sahin, president of the Central Union of Turkish Beekeepers (TABs), believes that the Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for the situation and calls for more controls and higher penalties: “The problem is the lack of regulations. Our beekeepers are angry and ask why we do not take measures. But we have no responsibility for control. I don’t even allow me to ask on the road if a honey is genuine or not ‘, Ziya Sahin told DW.

The French seized tones of honey with Viagra

The distorted honey is not an exclusively Turkish problem, adds the president of the Turkish beekeepers: “As in other parts of the world, there is falsified honey in Turkey. We cannot deny it. But we do not want Turkey to become known as the paradise of the distorted honey. “

One of the main reasons for increased honey adulteration in Turkey is the possibility of the ongoing economic crisis. The distorted costs just one fifth of the genuine honey. Specifically, while falsified honey costs about 1.60 euros per kilo, the price of the genuine reaches 8 euros.

According to experts, customs controls in Turkey are not sufficient to identify falsified honey. Is therefore not excluded Distributed honey has been extracted abroad. There are indications that fake honey has arrived in European countries. In January 2024, the French authorities seized 13 tonnes of Viagra -enriched honey, also known as “erectile honey”. According to official data, honey came from illegal supply chains from Turkey, Tunisia and Thailand.

The data from the European Fraud of Fraud (OLAF) show how serious the problem is. The European Authority had already identified mass violations in EU imports by 2023. Nearly half (46%) of the samples examined were falsified. In the case of Turkish honey, the 14 of the 15 samples were distorted.

Curated by: Stefanos Georgakopoulos