Indicative only, not a lab test
Home checks below can raise suspicion but cannot confirm adulteration. For a conclusive result, use an accredited laboratory — see food testing.
Common adulterants
- Sugar solution — Dilutes honey and misrepresents the product.
Warning signs
- A drop that disperses immediately in water
- A cotton wick dipped in honey that will not burn, or crackles when lit (listed by DART as indicating water content)
Home checks
- Drop-in-water test: Add a drop of honey to a transparent glass of water. Pure honey does not disperse; if it disperses, DART says this indicates added sugar. (Indicative only. A household test can give a false positive or false negative, and it cannot tell you the amount present or whether the food meets the legal standard. Only testing by an accredited laboratory confirms adulteration. Honey that is thin, warm or stirred can behave differently, and the test does not detect all forms of adulteration.)
- Cotton wick test: Dip a cotton wick in honey and light it with a match. DART says pure honey burns; if adulterated, water prevents burning or produces a crackling sound. (Indicative only. A household test can give a false positive or false negative, and it cannot tell you the amount present or whether the food meets the legal standard. Only testing by an accredited laboratory confirms adulteration. Use caution with flame; this test is unreliable for modern sugar syrups.)
Laboratory testing
To confirm adulteration, a sample must be analysed by a food testing laboratory using standard methods. A purchaser can have food analysed by a Food Analyst for a fee under section 40 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, but must tell the seller at the time of purchase; you can also report to the food safety authority, whose officers draw official samples. See the Food testing page for official lab directories.