Your ‘pure honey’ may have hidden additives, CAK warns
The Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) has launched an investigation after finding that over 80 percent of honey brands labeled as '100 percent pure' contained unauthorized additives. The watchdog is pursuing legal action against manufacturers for misleading consumers and violating trade standards.
Why it matters
This highlights critical issues in food safety and consumer protection against deceptive marketing practices in the food industry.
The sweetness of your favourite 'pure honey' may not be entirely the result of bees painstakingly converting flower nectar into the natural sweetener.
Instead, it could also be the work of crafty manufacturers concocting substances that give it the sweetness of natural honey.
A nationwide investigation into the honey industry by the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) found that four out of every five sampled brands contained additives despite being labelled and marketed as "100 percent pure and natural honey", opening a probe into yet another case of false and misleading advertising and consumer deception.
The findings, contained in the CAK's annual report for the financial year ended June 2025, followed laboratory tests on honey brands collected from manufacturers and importers across the country. CAK said the tests were done by an accredited laboratory.
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