Before You Doubt Honey, Ask What’s in Your Salad

Recent headlines about traces of pesticides in honey have stirred consumer concern, but let’s be clear: honey remains one of the purest, most natural products in our diets. The issue lies not in the bees or their products, but in the broader agricultural environment in which they (and we) live.

In a landscape where fruits and vegetables are routinely treated with synthetic pesticides or farmed animals are treated with antibiotics or other veterinary products, often directly, honey stands apart. Bees collect nectar from wildflowers and crops, converting it into a golden, enzymatically rich food that humans have cherished for millennia. Unlike many crops, honey isn’t sprayed, coated, or processed. What ends up in the jar is simply what nature—and the bees—provide.

So why the concern?

It’s not about honey production practices. It’s about what bees are exposed to in the landscape we all share. Bees are environmental sentinels. When pesticide residues show up in honey, they reveal a problem far larger than the hive: one that affects pollinators, food security, and human health alike.

A recent EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) report found that fruits and vegetables are far more likely to exceed pesticide residue limits than honey. In fact honey samples across Europe fell well within legal safety thresholds. The real red flag is the widespread use of chemicals in conventional farming, substances known to harm bees, linger in soil and water, and enter our food chain.1

As consumers, our takeaway shouldn’t be panic—it should be awareness and empowerment. Choosing honey from local, trusted sources supports both sustainable agriculture and the beekeepers who are sounding the alarm. These producers are calling not for softer rules, but stricter controls on dangerous substances, enhanced enforcement, and a cultural shift toward responsible farming.

After all, the bees aren’t alone in this. We breathe the same air, drink the same water, and eat the food grown in the same fields. Their safety is our safety. Their resilience is a measure of our own.

So continue to enjoy honey, but also read labels! Ask where your food comes from and how it was produced. Request high-quality foodstuffs that are flavour and residue-free. Support policies and practices that protect pollinators and people alike. Because in the end, the problem isn’t the honey, it’s a system that needs to change and we all have a role in bringing about that change.

Footnotes

1.  “HBM results create a scientific basis for protecting the health of the most vulnerable population groups. Commonly, young children have higher concentrations of most chemical pollutants per kilogram of body weight compared to older age groups. This holds true for a number of modern pesticides and plastic constituents. Young children are especially vulnerable to developing adverse health effects later in life when exposed in early years.” Human biomonitoring programmes: importance for protecting human health from negative impacts of Chemicals - World Health Organization European Region - pg.4 (...)“Exposure to organophosphate pesticides is associated with IQ loss, mental retardation and ADHD. Internal levels as determined by HBM of organophosphate exposures in EU populations were associated with 13.0  million (sensitivity analysis: 4.2  million to 17.1 million) lost IQ points per year and 59 300 (sensitivity analysis: 16 500 to 84 400) cases of intellectual disability, at an annual cost of €146 billion (sensitivity analysis: €46.8 billion to €194.0 billion). Human biomonitoring programmes: importance for protecting human health from negative impacts of Chemicals - World Health Organization European Region - pg. 7