read more
Before domestic production catches up with demand, Polish processors use honey imported from abroad, blend it with domestic raw material and thus meet consumer demand without increasing the prices of the final product. International honey is in no way inferior in quality, and certainly does not deserve to be called "technical honey" – says the Polish Chamber of Honey Association.
More bees, less honey
Poland has one of the lowest honey production per hive in Europe. In amateur apiaries (of which there are the largest number, over 90%) – it is on average 12.5 kg per year, and in commercial apiaries – 21.5 kg (data for 2021). Nowadays it looks even worse. This noticeable decline is not caused by the import of honey or the liquidation of apiaries, but by too many bees per hectare. Moreover, the number of beekeepers and bee families is constantly growing, and beekeeping itself has become fashionable and more and more people treat it as their passion.
Over the last 10 years, the number of beekeepers in Poland has almost doubled – from 58,000. in 2014 to almost 100 thousand in 2024. The percentage increase in the number of bee colonies was almost 70% (from 1,386 thousand in 2014 to 2,350 thousand in 2024). Unfortunately, this does not translate into an increase in honey production, but there is a growing problem with bee diseases, which is reported by the breeders themselves.
According to data from the Institute of Horticulture, in none of the voivodeships is the bee rate below the optimal level, and in some regions it is even 3-4 times higher. The negative effects of excessive beekeeping include insufficient food availability and an increased risk of spreading diseases, which reduces the productivity and profitability of apiaries and increases the risk of bee starvation. Moreover, too many of these insects in one place lead to more frequent contact between them, which increases the risk of infection.
– There are almost as many bee colonies in Poland as in the USA, which are over 30 times larger than Poland. This shows the scale of over-bearing in our country, says Przemysław Rujna, Secretary General of the Polish Chamber of Honey Association. Therefore, increasing the number of apiaries operating in Poland does not solve the problem. The entire European Union is facing a similar challenge. In many EU countries, the per capita consumption of honey, including imported honey, is much higher than in Poland, and the demand definitely exceeds the production capabilities of local beekeepers, which is why importing raw materials and composing honey mixtures is necessary – adds Przemysław Rujna.
Technical honey?
The inability to satisfy the Polish market with domestic production forces honey producers to import raw material from abroad. Processors blend foreign honey with domestic raw materials and thus meet consumer demand that exceeds the production capacity of domestic producers. According to the estimates of the Polish Chamber of Honey, mixtures constitute approximately 70% of the products available in Polish stores, but their important element is still honey from domestic apiaries.
All honey imported to the European Union, including Poland, must undergo rigorous quality tests. The Agricultural and Food Quality Inspection (IJHARS) examines each imported batch of honey. In 2023, out of 1,200 batches of imported honey, only five were questioned, which constitutes only 0.4% of all inspections. Products placed on the Polish market must meet strict standards in many aspects: physicochemical (here, the parameters included in the regulation of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, which specifies the properties that bee honey must have), are checked; for the presence of foreign sugars (here it is checked whether the honey has not been thickened with other ingredients); for the presence of prohibited substances, such as residues of antibiotics, pesticides and heavy metals, or analysis of pollen found in honey to determine its type and origin.
Testing imported honey is a multi-stage process, and each batch is checked several times. First, a sample of honey from a Polish or foreign supplier is tested, then the finished product is tested before it is delivered to the recipient, e.g. a retail chain. In the next stage, the same product is often checked again by a retail chain or food manufacturer, who have their own quality criteria and research methods. In addition, of course, there are mandatory tests conducted by the national Veterinary Inspection and the above-mentioned Agricultural and Food Quality Inspection (JIHARS). In this context, the term "technical honey" used in the public space to refer to imported raw material has no justification.
– There is no such thing as "technical honey". Imported honey undergoes a series of very complicated tests and does not differ in quality from honey produced by Polish bees, or in fact it is much more thoroughly tested honey than an alternative product available in the traditional market – such as bazaars, markets or roadside trade. After passing all the necessary tests and quality controls, the honey is imported simply honey, regardless of the country of origin. It is produced by the same bees that do not recognize political boundaries, the same beekeepers, in the same hives, and more and more often, in a much less polluted environment – explains Rujna.
Quality without limits
Nowadays, when the borders between countries are often becoming more and more symbolic, the importance of products that combine the best traditions and raw materials from different parts of the world is growing. One of such products is international honey, which is made by combining domestic and imported honey. This is not only a response to production restrictions in Poland, but also a guarantee of the highest quality.
– I appeal to the Polish consumer, who seems to be increasingly aware of his choices, to focus on facts, not myths. Polish companies packaging bee products are financed only by Polish capital, they employ hundreds of Polish workers and pay millions of dollars in taxes in Poland. Over recent years, they have become the second leader in the European honey trade as a symbol of quality and the highest standards, overtaking such powers as France or Spain, says Rujna.
The quality of Polish honey producers is confirmed by independent research and repeatedly checked at various stages of production of the product that finally reaches store shelves. Honey import, among others from Ukraine allows domestic producers to remain competitive with Western enterprises that compete with Polish companies, also for Polish customers.
– Let us emphasize that Polish honey, of which we purchase thousands of tons every year, is an extremely important component of the mixtures we create, which reach not only European, but also American and, recently, Asian tables. Without Polish honey, we would not have been so successful, explains Rujna. Let us also stop succumbing to the negative narrative regarding bee products from the East, fueled by groups hostile to the policies of Poland and the EU. And the facts are as follows: in Ukraine, according to FAO uses 80% less pesticides per hectare than in EU countries, and Japan, which is a global synonym for healthy eating, imports over 30,000 tons of honey from China, which is much more than Poland.
Mixed honey, combining domestic and imported raw materials, is a product of international quality that offers consumers the best of both worlds, so it is worth reaching for mixed honey, knowing that it is a product of the highest quality – quality without borders.
