Austria: Fake honey on the market: This is how supermarkets react to the allegations

Spar has already taken products off its shelves. Other supermarket chains currently see no need for this.

The sweet honey recently got a bitter aftertaste: During a laboratory test ORFmagazine specifically it came out that 23 out of 31 tested Fake honey samples waren.

All affected products were imported products. This one was about adulterated with sugar syrup which is cheaper than real honey.

Spar responded immediately by stopping sales

The grocery chain Spar had reacted immediately to the results of the investigation and ordered an immediate review of the private label honey. A total of seven different honey products containing imported honey have been removed from sale as a precautionary measure until the results of the investigation are available. The company has also entered into discussions with its suppliers, as Spar tells KURIER.

At this point, the company is still leaving it open what will happen to the products currently under investigation if they actually turn out to be counterfeit: “We ask “We want to understand that we don’t want to draw any hasty conclusions until we have the results,” says Spar.

Rewe commissions further analyses

Also the company Rewe (Billa, Billa Plus, Penny and At the time) takes the current test results “very seriously,” as the company tells KURIER. “We are in constant contact with accredited institutes and commission comprehensive additional analyzes of our own honey brands,” it says.

Contrary to several false media reports, Rewe has not yet removed any honey from its range. As long as no product turns out to be a counterfeit, no sales stops are planned, the company said.

Lidl refers to its own controls

Lidl In response to a KURIER request, he refers to his own investigations into the four honey products that the discounter offers. These are regularly checked by “established, experienced and accredited laboratories for honey analysis in Europe” and “tested for adulteration using several analytical methods,” it says.

Since the internal analyzes to date have been unremarkable, there is no evidence that any of the products have been stretched. If the current one specifically-The test result, which Lidl says is not yet available but should show reliable deviations, means that the supermarket chain wants to “initiate further steps”.

Hofer also checked his range himself

Also the discount chain Hofer refers to its own “comprehensive investigations” of the entire honey range that were carried out last year. The products were examined for the addition of extraneous sugar; according to the supermarket chain, adulteration was not found in any honey.

However, the results of the current investigation are still used as an opportunity to carry out further analyzes if necessary, as Hofer tells the KURIER.