The Honey
The name “Actual Honey” is a statement. Inspired by the shocking article in 2023 where it was found that all 10 samples of UK honey tested in an investigation by the European Commission failed authenticity tests, I wanted to package the honey I produce with a label that says what contents actually are.
A constant need to drive down prices of honey to attract more sales has naturally resulted in the need to adulterate the honey which in the end cheats the consumer and undervalues and undercuts local beekeepers. In 2023 in the UK there were more than 49,000 registered beekeepers with 252,577 colonies of bees and by buying local honey you are helping to support those beekeepers to:
- Purchase and maintain hives and equipment
- Pay for medication to keep their bees healthy
- Cover fuel expenses to travel to and from their apiaries
- Buy new bees to replace losses due to weather or disease
- Fund the costs of local association membership
- Buy books and pay for courses to develop their beekeeping, and the fees for exams
- Hire or purchase extraction equipment, and the costs of jars and labels
- Get them a coffee or beer once in a while to thank them for their hard work!
…and you get a delicious jar of local honey to enjoy!
If your jar of Actual Honey has granulated, you can find out how to restore it to it’s liquid form in this handy blog post!
Actual Honey is submitted yearly into the National Honey Monitoring Scheme which works with beekeepers to monitor the condition and health of the UK countryside. Find out more about the results each year as the samples of Actual Honey are analysed!