Experts Rave About This Store-Bought Honey Under $4 a Jar!

It turns out that Winnie the Pooh isn’t the only one with a sweet tooth for honey. With about 40,000 tons consumed annually, the French rank among the top honey consumers in Europe. Known for its tonic, remineralizing, and anti-inflammatory properties—no wonder our grandmothers always stirred a spoonful into their winter toddies—honey primarily remains a natural sweetener that’s 30% sweeter than white sugar, making it perfect for a light touch.

The term “honey” actually covers a wide variety of products, the organoleptic properties of which largely depend on the flowers visited—or in the case of honeydews, the secretions of sap-sucking insects. There are monofloral honeys, derived predominantly from one type of plant (like lavender, rapeseed, sunflower, rosemary honeys), and polyfloral honeys, which blend several types. Often protected by geographical indications or designations of origin, regional honeys owe their unique taste to the specific vegetation of an area: Alsace, Corsica, Provence…

To ensure you’re picking a quality honey, the best approach is definitely to buy directly from a local beekeeper. At the supermarket? It’s a mixed bag: with an increasing share of European imports, as well as those from China, Mexico, and Argentina, there’s a rise in low-quality honeys with standardized flavors, and sometimes even “fake honeys” diluted with water or glucose syrup.

To help us navigate the pitfalls in supermarket aisles, the experts at 60 Millions de Consommateurs recently scrutinized 12 supermarket-sold floral honeys. They analyzed aspects like composition, moisture content, geographic origin, and pesticide presence. Among these, one product stood out for its exceptional value for money.

Priced at $3.80 for a 500g jar, the liquid floral honey by Paquito (Intermarché’s store brand) scored an impressive 16.1/20. The jury particularly praised its lack of fermentation and detectable pesticides, ranking it second just behind the brand “C’est qui le patron,” which costs twice as much per kilo. This makes it a sweet deal for enhancing your morning toast or hot beverages without emptying your wallet!

In conclusion, honey still holds a treasured spot in our kitchens—as long as we know how to choose it wisely. Behind its seeming simplicity lies a product rich in nuances, a reflection of a region, a craft, and sometimes—a lack of transparency. With better information and higher standards, consumers today can distinguish between a spoonful of tradition and a spoonful of deception. And if quality and price can finally go hand in hand, then we’d be foolish not to take advantage of it.