- The Honey You’re Eating Might Not Be Real: A UAE Brand Reveals What’s Really in the Jar.
Dubai, UAE: Amid a growing appetite for wellness products and clean-label foods, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: not all honeys are what they claim to be. Anthology Honey, a UAE-based luxury brand committed to raw, authentic honey, is sounding the alarm on the global crisis of honey adulteration—and urging consumers to demand better.
According to industry experts, honey is currently the third most adulterated food globally. “In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for honey skyrocketed, but the global supply of high-quality, pure honey couldn’t keep up. That’s when large-scale fraud started taking hold across supply chains in the US, Europe and sadly, even the GCC,” explains Alexandra Timotheadi, CEO and Founder of Anthology Honey.
She revealed that much of the honey on sale in supermarkets today is mixed with low-quality sweeteners, such as high fructose corn syrup, rice syrup, glucose syrup or it is so overly processed to the point of losing the majority of its natural benefits.
Even more alarming, adulteration can happen in subtle ways, such as feeding bees syrups during blossom season to artificially increase yield. Commercial honey processing employs hyperfiltration in order to remove all traces of pollen, in an effort to inhibit traceability. Another major issue is the mixing of good quality honey with cheaper honeys of inferior quality, which contain pesticide or antibiotic residues and are strictly banned in both the UAE and in Europe because they are harmful to humans.
The health risks are of major concern. Adulterated, low quality mixed honey loses its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, turning it into a common sweetener with no added benefits. “Research has revealed that it can spike blood sugar levels, contribute to obesity and over time, even cause liver and pancreatic damage, which in turn can lead to chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension,” says Timotheadi.
But there’s more at stake than consumer health. “As cheap, low-grade honey floods the market, it exerts enormous pressure to honest beekeepers because they can’t compete economically. Therefore, many are abandoning their precious craft,” she explains.
When honeybees are left unattended in extreme weather conditions or the presence of pesticides, they cannot survive for long. This has devastating consequences for biodiversity, food security and our ecosystems,” adds Timotheadi.
Anthology Honey also criticises the rise of “vegan honey,” which Timotheadi stresses is misleading. “By definition, honey is a natural product created solely by bees, through a complex biochemical process perfected over millions of years. What some US, German and Israeli companies are selling is essentially sugar syrup in disguise—lab-manufactured and marketed with false claims of health benefits and of ‘saving bees.’”
These claims mislead consumers and undermine the sacred, symbiotic relationship between bees and responsible beekeepers. “Honeybees need their beekeepers to survive—and they know it. It’s a profound relationship rooted in mutual respect and I’ve witnessed it first-hand over the years. Bees are intelligent, intuitive beings,” adds Timotheadi.
Anthology Honey works only with multi-generational beekeepers who harvest with ecological consciousness. The brand applies standards more rigorous than most national food safety bodies, including advanced lab testing, low-temperature storage and a zero-plastic contact policy. “Our honey is always unheated, always raw and always bottled in glass. That’s the only way to preserve its living enzymes, its medicinal value and its soul,” she points out.
With a loyal following that commenced in Greece, Anthology Honey is taking its mission further. “We educate through tasting sessions, Instagram, media presence and talks in Dubai schools,” she adds. “Honey is deeply appreciated in this region, and we believe consumers want to know the truth.”
So next time you drizzle honey on your laban or stir it into your morning tea, ask yourself: Is this nature’s medicine—or just sugar in disguise?
