The FDA is releasing data from a sampling assignment carried out in 2025 to test domestic and imported honey for economically motivated adulteration, a term used by the FDA for food fraud. Food fraud occurs, for example, when a valuable ingredient or part of a food is intentionally left out, taken out, or is substituted or when a substance is added to a food to make it appear better or of greater value.
The FDA samples various foods to safeguard the integrity of the food supply and protect consumers against food fraud. This sampling was designed to identify products that contained undeclared added sweeteners that are less expensive than honey, such as syrups from sugarcane and corn. The FDA tested honey samples using a stable carbon isotope ratio analysis method, which measures carbon isotopes in both the overall honey and its protein content. If a sample’s carbon isotope levels didn’t match what is expected from real honey, FDA experts reviewed the results more closely. They considered factors such as natural variations of honey composition and the test’s margin of error to determine if the honey was adulterated. This assignment follows previous honey assignments in 2021-22 and 2022-23 in an effort to continue monitoring industry compliance.
The agency is also actively working to enhance our sampling strategies and advance new methods and analytical techniques that will improve detection of undeclared sweeteners, strengthening protections for American consumers. In addition, the FDA maintains active partnerships with both U.S. and international regulatory agencies to address food fraud of various commodities, including honey.
As part of the assignment, conducted in 2025, the agency tested 102 honey samples, including 54 domestic samples and 48 import samples. Of the 102 samples tested, the violation rate was about 4% for both domestic products (2 out of 54) and imported products (2 out of 48). In the 2022-2023 assignment, the agency collected and tested 107 imported honey samples and found 3% of those samples to be violative. In 2021-2022, the agency collected and tested 144 imported honey samples and found 10% of those samples to be violative. For imported violative samples, the FDA stopped the products and future shipments of these products from entering the U.S. by placing the firms and products on import alerts. For domestic violative samples, FDA is working with firms on recalls and other corrective actions.
Even though the majority of honey products tested were in compliance, these findings highlight the ongoing vulnerability of honey to food fraud and reinforce the importance of the FDA’s continued sampling efforts to ensure the integrity of the food supply and protect consumer interests. Moving forward, the FDA will maintain its surveillance of honey for food fraud through the agency’s risk-based sampling programs and take appropriate follow up actions if violative products are detected.
Additional Information
- FY25 Sample Collection and Analysis of Honey for Economically Motivated Adulteration
- FY22/23 Sample Collection and Analysis of Imported Honey for Economically Motivated Adulteration
- Guidance for Industry: Proper Labeling of Honey and Honey Products
- Economically Motivated Adulteration (Food Fraud)
- HFP Priority Research, Data, and Method Needs