Why Supermarket Honey Isn't Real

Nearly All UK Supermarket Honey Isn't Real Honey.

24 of 25 jars tested from major UK retailers failed independent authenticity checks in 2025. Here's what's actually in the jar.

The Test Nobody Wanted Published.

The Honey Authenticity Network UK tested 25 supermarket honey jars and 5 jars sourced directly from UK beekeepers in 2025. Every single beekeeper jar passed authenticity checks. 24 of the 25 supermarket jars were flagged as adulterated — cut with cheap syrup to bulk out the product and increase margins.

Why Nobody Told You.

Genuine raw honey costs around £2,370 per tonne to produce. The cheap syrups used to adulterate it cost as little as £500 per tonne. That's a margin most producers and importers find hard to ignore. The fraud typically happens upstream — at the processing or import stage — meaning even well-intentioned retailers are often selling adulterated honey without knowing it.

Even When It's Not Cut With Syrup, Most Honey Is Still Gutted.

Most commercial honey — even when it hasn't been adulterated with syrup — is heated to around 75°C and ultra-filtered before it reaches the shelf. This process destroys the natural enzymes, antioxidants, and pollen that make raw honey nutritionally valuable. What's left looks like honey and tastes vaguely like honey, but it's been stripped of most of what makes it worth eating.

How to Actually Tell the Difference.

If you want honey that hasn't been cut or cooked, look for these four things:

  • Single, traceable origin — you should be able to find out exactly where it came from
  • Never heated past ~40°C — the temperature at which enzymes and antioxidants start to break down
  • Minimally strained — to preserve natural pollen
  • Crystallises naturally — liquid honey that never sets has almost certainly been heat-treated

This is ours.

Cinnamon Honey

Our Cinnamon Honey is raw, unheated, and sourced from a single traceable origin. It's never processed above 40°C, minimally strained to preserve natural pollen, and will crystallise naturally over time — exactly as real honey should.

Shop Cinnamon Honey

Questions We Actually Get Asked

What does "Blend of EC/non-EC honeys" mean?

It means the honey has been blended from multiple countries — often including imports from outside the EU — and the exact origins don't have to be disclosed. It's the label that tells you the least about what's actually in the jar.

Why has mine gone thick or cloudy?

That's crystallisation, and it's a good sign. Raw honey crystallises naturally because of its high glucose content. It means it hasn't been heat-treated to artificially keep it liquid. You can gently warm the jar in a bowl of warm water (never above 40°C) to return it to a runnier consistency.

Does it help with allergies?

Raw honey contains trace amounts of local pollen, and some people find it helpful when consumed regularly before allergy season. The evidence is anecdotal rather than clinical, but it's one of the reasons people seek out locally sourced, minimally processed honey specifically.

Is this the same as Manuka?

No. Manuka honey comes specifically from the Leptospermum (tea tree) plant in New Zealand and parts of Australia, and is graded separately for its MGO (methylglyoxal) content. Our honey is raw British honey — different origin, different profile, no MGO grading. Both are raw; they're just different products.