Buzzing mysteries: Honey market’s sweet, sour tale

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/10/2023 (929 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The market for honey in Western Canada has been on a roller-coaster journey over the last year, taking beekeepers on a wild ride of price fluctuations. From soaring to $3.25 per pound in January to the current $2.30 per pound, the honey market seems to have left both producers and consumers buzzing with questions.

Between 2021 and 2022 Statistics Canada reported that honey production was down across the Prairies (which the agency attributed to poor spring conditions following a cold winter that weakened colonies) with a drop of 17.4 per cent in Manitoba, 10.7 per cent in Alberta and 31.5 per cent in Saskatchewan. According to the laws of economics, lower levels of honey production, coupled with sustained consumer demand, should have led to a sustained price increase. Instead, the opposite has occurred, with the total value of honey produced in the country down by 5.6 per cent from $268.4 million to $253.5 million.

However, in spite of producers receiving lower prices for their honey, the cost for consumers hasn’t changed.

“That is because the packers just don’t want to buy from us,” Rivercrest Honey Farm owner Will Clark told the Sun. “They want to make more money by buying from other sources.”

Clark explained that the packers are seeking to maximize their profits and want to pay as little as possible for honey, which means lower revenue for beekeepers.

“It’s just a continuation of what the history has been. When the price gets too high, the packers don’t buy Canadian honey.”

At the same time as Canada was producing less honey, Statistics Canada showed that the amount the country was importing has gone up. Between 2021 and 2022, the value of honey imported into Canada increased from $47.48 million to $73.93 million — an increase of 55.7 per cent. The volume also rose from 8,200 tonnes in 2021 to 10,566 tonnes in 2022 — an increase of 62 per cent.

“We export honey to a lot of different countries, and (it is) pure Canadian honey,” Riding Mountain Honey Farm owner Cole Krauss told the Sun. “We should be able to meet all of our core needs right here at home without having to import.”

All that imported honey may not be as sweet as it seems, as Clark points to the prevalence of adulterated honey — honey mixed with other substances including sweeteners such as sugar or corn syrup — from Argentina, China and India, among others in the market.

He said that the honey market’s intricacies pose a challenge when it comes to testing and ensuring the authenticity of the product.

“Well, the Germans have made some good tests. But every time that somebody comes up with a good test, they come up with a good way to hide it,” he said.

Krauss noted that the profit margin for beekeepers will still be about the same even if honey prices go up.

“(We) will witness below-average yield on honey production this year as well, due to the drought conditions, which is going to force honey prices to rise a little more again.”

He explained that beekeepers in Manitoba have faced an additional challenge with severe hive die-offs, with losses hanging around 40 per cent, and this adds a layer of uncertainty as winter approaches.

“I expect to lose on average 20 per cent of my colonies due to age and everything else,” Krauss told the Sun. “We’re trying to rebuild our numbers by splitting colonies to build colonies a little more aggressively.”

In preparation for the colder months ahead, beekeepers are busy medicating and feeding the bees so that they can go into winter healthy, which will help to ensure that colonies are strong come spring.

“As winter beckons, we remain hopeful that our hardworking bees will be ready for the colder months ahead, safeguarding this essential part of our ecosystem,” Clark said.

» aodutola@brandonsun.com

» X: @AbiolaOdutola