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Stiftung Warentest tests honey 36 times - the results are surprising

2020-02-27T16:39:42.264Z


Stiftung Warentest tested 36 types of honey. The test winner surprised. However, an expensive brand fails. Here is the information.


Stiftung Warentest tested 36 types of honey. The test winner surprised. However, an expensive brand fails. Here is the information.

  • On the roll or in tea: honey is a hit with the Germans.
  • Stiftung Warentest examined 36 types of honey and came to an unsatisfactory result.
  • The testers rated every fourth honey "poor".

Berlin - golden and sweet: honey makes breakfast perfect for many Germans. And in tea it is the perfect companion for the dark season and during a cold. Every German consumes over a kilo of liquid gold a year. But according to Stiftung Warentest , the quality is not always right, as RUHR24 * reports.

Stiftung Warentest: 36 types of honey tested

No matter whether Rewe , Aldi or Lidl - honey is available in every supermarket in a wide variety of designs. But it is difficult for consumers to see which honey is really good. For this, Stiftung Warentest took a closer look at some varieties.

The testers examined 36 types of honey in different price ranges. In addition to discounterware from Aldi or Lidl , more expensive branded honey from Langnese or Dreyer was also represented. Different varieties were also examined: acacia honey, rapeseed honey, forest honey and wildflower honey.

Result of Stiftung Warentest: Every fourth honey is "deficient"

The test result was sobering: none of the honeys tested was able to score "very good". Every fourth honey is even "deficient" , including a striking number of acacia and wildflower honeys.

They could not meet the requirements for variety honey and, according to the Stiftung Warentest, failed. For example, acacia honey should taste mild and slightly flowery and not artificial and perfumed.

Only every fourth honey comes from Germany - and often does not do well

Another problem with honey in our supermarkets: only every fourth honey comes from Germany. And the German honeys that Stiftung Warentest examined did not do very well. Only one in six German honeys is rated "good".

Much of the honey is imported from China. The People's Republic has grown to become the most important supplier of honey to the EU and the largest honey producer in the world. Tests by the "EU Joint Research Center" showed that every fifth honey does not meet the standards of the European Union.

Stiftung Warentest finds glyphosate and carcinogenic substances in honey

But not only is the origin of the honey significant, the results of the honey test also reflect our agricultural practices. Because even if the packaging makes us believe that honey is always natural and healthy: Unfortunately, this is not the case.

Because while bees are looking for pollen, they also collect unwanted substances. The testers found slight traces of the controversial plant protection product glyphosate in every third honey . Stiftung Warentest has also identified pollen from genetically modified plants in ten products.

Several forest honeys were even significantly contaminated with toxic substances : pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA) are formed by some wild plants. This was punished with a point deduction. This substance has been shown to be carcinogenic and genetically harmful in animal experiments.

Stiftung Warentest: Lidl and Aldi honey rated "good"

Pleasing for customers: good honey doesn't have to be expensive. Several cheap honey varieties that were rated "good" can be found in discounters. An extract of the honeys , which were rated "good" by Stiftung Warentest :

  • Lidl Maribel Creamy blossom honey spreadable - 4.60 euros per kilo
  • NektarQuell bee honey creamy spreadable - 4.60 euros per kilo
  • Aldi Nord Wald honey - 6 euros per kilo

On the other hand, the following honeys were rated as "poor":

  • dm organic acacia honey, mild & lovely - 12.70 euros per kilo
  • Langnese Bee Wildflower Honey - 10.60 euros per kilo
  • Broad honey linden honey from Germany fine-spicy - 25.40 euros per kilo

Stiftung Warentest also found something similar for make-up: A "good" foundation can be had in the drugstore for just a few euros.

Good honey is almost unrecognizable and consumers are misled

The sobering conclusion of Stiftung Warentest : "Good honey cannot be recognized by its variety, origin or price." It would also mislead consumers with the declarations.

"Beekeeping honey" or "from traditional beekeeping" for honeys that come from other countries would deceive the customer. Such a honey cannot be bottled and sold directly by the beekeeper at Stiftung Warentest .

May

* RUHR24.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.

Rubric list picture: © Oliver Berg / dpa; Collage: RUHR24

Source: merkur

All life articles on 2020-02-27

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