UK beekeepers and scientists tackle sticky problem of honey fraud

Beekeeper Lynne Ingram tends to a hive in Somerset
(Justin TALLIS)

Lynne Ingram cuts a peaceful figure as she tends to a row of humming beehives in a leafy corner of Somerset, southwest England.

But the master beekeeper, who has been keeping hives for more than 40 years, has found herself in a fight against a tricky and evolving foe -- honey fraudsters.

The practice of adulterating honey is well known, and historically adulterants such as ash and potato flour have been used.

Now, advancements in technology and science have made it much easier, with "bespoke, designer or bioengineered" syrups used as diluting agents capable of fooling authenticity tests, Ingram said.

By Daniel MATTHEWS
Full story at Yahoo News.