The honey market in France

Honey is a sweet, viscous substance produced by bees from flower nectar. These insects collect the nectar, transform it using enzymes, then store it in the hive's alveoli as a food reserve. Honey is distinguished by its different varieties, which are influenced by the floral origin of the nectar harvested, giving it a diversity of tastes and aromas.

In France, honey comes mainly from :

Spring flowers (10.9%)

Acacias (10.6%)

Colza (10.7%)

Chestnut (7.3%)

The honey market includes not only the sale of honey, but also all hive products such as pollen, royal jelly and propolis.

Worldwide,honey production has fluctuated over the period 2015 to 2022to finally exceed the 2015 level, reaching 1,830 thousand tonnes.

on a national scale,honey production reached a new record in 2023, with an increase of 7.37% in production volumein production volume. In addition,With almost40,000 tonnes of honey consumed per yearthe French are among the biggest consumers of honey in Europe. The products enjoy a generally positive image with consumers, who are increasingly looking for healthy, local products.

Despite all this, France remains a major importer of honey, with a trade deficit of 78.9 million euros in 2023. Indeed, theFrench honey industry continues to face stiff competition from foreign products, notably from China (the world's leading producer), Spain and Ukraine. French companies such as Famille Michaud Apiculteur are nonetheless managing to prosper and expand both in France and abroad.

In a market undergoing profound change, marked by stricter regulations on the use of additives and the labeling of organic products, multiple growth drivers are emerging to boost the sector. These include the multiplication of uses (sweets, pastilles, alternatives to sugar and sweeteners...). Finally, more and more beehives are being installed in urban environments, on the roofs of companies, institutions or hotels. Although this practice is very marginal in terms of actual honey production, it does demonstrate a certain enthusiasm for the product.