Austria Leads Effort to Combat Honey Fraud with DNA Testing.

In a groundbreaking move to tackle the growing problem of counterfeit honey, scientists in Austria’s Tyrol province are using DNA analysis to scrutinize around 100 honey samples each month. The initiative aims to uncover adulteration in honey, a practice that remains alarmingly widespread despite strict European regulations.

With only a few laboratories in Europe offering such advanced testing, Austrian company Sinsoma stepped in two years ago to meet the demand. "It is really something new for the honey market," said Corinna Wallinger, head of sales and co-founder of Sinsoma. She emphasized that evolving technology is crucial to staying ahead of counterfeiters.

According to EU law, honey must not contain additives like water or cheap sugar syrups intended to inflate its volume. Nonetheless, investigations have revealed that such adulteration is common. Between 2021 and 2022, nearly 46% of honey tested as it entered the EU showed signs of potential fraud, a stark increase from 14% during 2015-2017. A majority—74%—of the questionable honey shipments originated from China.

The rise in fake honey poses a serious threat to beekeepers, who struggle to compete with the lower prices of imported, often blended, products. Matthias Kopetzky, owner of Wiener Bezirksimkerei in Vienna, noted, "We don't have a chance at all," as he tended to his 350 hives on a sunny meadow overlooking the city.

To strengthen fraud detection, Austria’s health and food safety agency (AGES) adopted DNA testing for the first time this year and is still assessing the outcomes. Major supermarket chain SPAR also turned to DNA testing after temporarily removing honey products from shelves in Austria for verification. The honeys were returned once they passed both DNA and additional analyses.

DNA testing provides critical insight into the floral sources visited by bees. When a honey sample lacks diverse DNA traces or contains significant DNA from crops like rice or corn—plants not typically frequented by bees—it signals possible tampering. Wallinger explained that each honey has a distinct DNA fingerprint reflecting its true origin.

Founded in 2018, Sinsoma operates from a small laboratory in the town of Voels, near Innsbruck, employing about a dozen staff. The company offers basic plant-targeted DNA tests to beekeepers for 94 euros ($103), about half the cost of traditional pollen analysis. Each test also provides a QR code, enabling consumers to view the specific plant species the bees visited.

While experts caution that DNA testing cannot detect all types of fraud and requires further validation, Wallinger stressed the importance of acting swiftly. She acknowledged the need for method standardization but warned that waiting for perfect procedures would only allow counterfeiters to stay ahead.

Meanwhile, the European Union, which trails only China in honey production and the United States in imports, adopted a directive requiring honey labels from mid-2026 to specify all countries of origin. Brussels has also assembled a panel of experts tasked with harmonizing honey adulteration detection methods through 2028.

Beekeepers like Kopetzky hope that stricter rules and innovative testing will finally tip the balance back in their favor.

Source:https://phys.org/news/2025-04-austria-trials-dna-uncover-honey.html

This is non-financial/medical advice and made using AI so could be wrong.