Honey scandal brewing in Denmark

Danish distributor allegedly sold tonnes of fake Chinese honey to Danish supermarkets

Samples taken by the food authority Fødevarestyrelsen have revealed that large quantities of fake Chinese honey are being sold in Danish supermarkets.

Danish food distributor Scandic Food has imported 50 tonnes of the fake honey and sold it to Danish supermarkets such as Netto, Føtex, Bilka, Kiwi, Many and Spar.

“There are no health-related issues in regards to this situation,” Michael Rosenmark, the head of Fødevarestyrelsen’s mobile unit, told Berlingske Business.

“But businesses, which somewhere along the line added sugar to the honey, have profited greatly from doing so.”

READ MORE: Candy seized in Copenhagen unfit for human consumption, says food authority

Accusations rejected
The drama started in October 2015 when Fødevarestyrelsen turned up at the Scandic Food warehouse in Vejle and took samples from five types of honey.

The samples were then sent to the EU Commission’s accredited expert laboratory in France, which tested the samples and found in January that 80 percent were not honey at all, but rather a fake product that only resembled real honey.

Meanwhile, Scandic Food has refuted Fødevarestyrelsen’s conclusion, claiming the test used on the samples was not valid. The company has complained about the decision to the Food Ministry.

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