In recent years, fake honey has increasingly made its way into the European market — and the numbers are alarming. A recent inspection by the Active Consumers organization revealed that 5 out of 10 tested honey brands failed to meet basic quality standards. These include:

• Water content: Must be below 20%
• Electrical conductivity: Should not exceed 0.8 mS/cm
• Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF): No more than 40 mg/kg
• Diastase activity: At least 8 Gote units
• Proline content: No less than 180 mg/kg

How Is Honey Being Faked?

There are two common ways honey is adulterated:

1. Dilution with glucose-fructose syrup – This boosts volume and cuts production costs.
2. Premature harvesting – Removing honey from the hive too early increases production speed but results in higher water content and lower quality.

In both cases, what ends up on store shelves doesn’t meet the standards of natural honey.

Can You Spot Fake Honey at Home?

We turned to the internet to explore popular DIY honey authenticity tests. Here’s what we found — and whether you can trust them:

 1. The Napkin Test

Claim: Real honey stays in place; fake honey spreads and creates a wet ring.
Reality: Sometimes reliable. It checks water content, but liquid honeys like acacia may spread even when genuine. Don’t rely on this test alone.

 2. Hexagon Shape Test

Claim: Genuine honey forms hexagons when shaken under water.
Reality: False. There’s no scientific basis for this. Honey simply sinks and dissolves slowly, regardless of quality.

 3. Ants Avoid Real Honey

Claim: Ants won’t touch pure honey.
Reality: Also false. Ants love sugar, and honey (real or fake) is full of it. Bees don’t produce any ant-repelling chemicals.

 4. Density and Dissolution

Claim: Real honey is thick, dissolves slowly in water, and has a slow-moving air bubble when flipped.
Reality: Sometimes true. These clues help indicate water content, but again, type of honey matters. Some are naturally more liquid.

The Final Verdict

Unfortunately, no home test can reliably confirm if your honey is 100% pure. This is why honey is one of the top three most adulterated foods, alongside milk and olive oil. Counterfeits are becoming more sophisticated — even looking and tasting like the real deal.

The only way to be sure? Laboratory testing.