Bees have been on earth for at least 40 million years and are people's most important livestock animals. But this is not because of their honey, but rather because of their function as pollinators. Countless plants worldwide rely on this type of fertilization. Their honey is one of the Germans' favorite spreads. With an average consumption of one kilogram of honey per inhabitant, we are the absolute leader in Europe.
But how much does a jar of honey actually cost? How is the price made up? And: is he healthy?
High fixed costs
Beekeeper Jochen Latzko has 70 bee colonies. In the main honey season from April to September, around 80,000 bees live in one hive. In each hive there are several honeycombs in which the bees store the honey. However, it takes time before this can be bottled and sold and costs are incurred.
First of all, of course, the beekeeper needs bee colonies. Since Jochen Latzko raises the young colonies himself, he saves 50 to 100 euros per offshoot. But for the young colony he needs a queen and that can cost up to 100 euros. The new bee boxes cost around 100 euros and the partition walls with your own wax are available for 1.80 euros.
To get the honey out of the honeycombs, beekeepers use centrifuges. Here, the honey is thrown out of the cells using centrifugal force and collected via an outlet. But the spinners are also expensive. The larger ones cost between 8,000 and 10,000 euros.
Weather dependent yield
Whether a year is a good honey year depends primarily on the weather. In 2019 it was mixed, so the bees were able to collect little nectar. Jochen Latzko's yield: almost 700 kilos. In 2020 there were six times as much: 4,200 kilos - a super year! Since the fixed costs remain the same, but the yield fluctuates, the profit that the beekeeper makes also varies greatly. A jar of honey from beekeeper Latzko costs 6.10 euros. While in 2019 he worked almost at cost price, in 2020 he was able to make a profit of between 40 and 50 percent on a glass. The honey business not only involves a lot of work, but also a lot of imponderables, because nature cannot be controlled.
German honey
There are around 150,000 beekeepers in Germany, 99% of whom practice beekeeping as a hobby. Many beekeepers are organized in clubs that belong to the German Beekeepers Association. It has been around for more than 100 years and is the umbrella organization for beekeepers. One of his main tasks is the marketing of local honey under the brand “Echter Deutscher Honig”.
Honey import
But in Germany, significantly more honey is eaten than our bees could produce here. Most honey – around 80% – is imported. In 2019 it was almost 80,000 tons. The majority comes from Mexico, followed by Ukraine and Argentina. Cuba and China are in fourth and fifth place as importing countries.
The major manufacturers buy raw honey from around the world and then mix it together. This has two advantages: you can buy very cheaply and then create a specific flavor profile. This results in a high price range for the honey to be purchased and the variety of different flavors.
Headlines appear again and again that Chinese honey is diluted with sugar or rice syrup, that the honey is harvested unripe and dried by machines. Although this is not harmful, it does come at the expense of the taste and enzymes that natural honey contains. That's why food control, but also the manufacturers themselves, randomly check what is contained in the imported honey. Regardless of whether it comes from the market or from a discounter: honey that is sold in Germany must neither be adulterated nor diluted. And: it must not contain more than 20% water, otherwise it can become susceptible to germs.
Enjoy in moderation
In addition to many valuable ingredients, honey also contains a lot of sugar and is therefore primarily a sweetener with a taste. And even though honey has slightly fewer calories than sugar, it is not a slimming agent. So it's better to enjoy it in moderation.
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Source: SWR Marktcheck
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