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Summary of our market study
The global honey market, with an estimated value of USD 8.58 billion in 2021, is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.8% from 2022 to 2030. Despite COVID-19-related setbacks, production has been growing at an average rate of 4.8%. The UK stands out in this market with an increasing demand, driven by honey's health benefits and the trend towards healthier eating. In 2020, the UK consumed 30,000 tons of honey and has been experiencing a surge in popularity for products like spicy honey and spirits infused with honey. Manuka honey, with its recognized health benefits, continues to be significant, particularly in export trends, with New Zealand being a major supplier to the UK. However, there's controversy over the imports from China due to concerns regarding honey adulteration. The UK market is highly reliant on imports, with an estimated 95% of sales in 2020 attributed to imported honey. Regulation is strict in the UK, governed by The Honey Regulations of 2015, ensuring product quality and defining categories of honey. The British government, recognizing the importance of bees and honey production, launched the "Healthy Bees Plan 2030" to support the apiculture sector.
Trends and Dynamics in the UK Honey Market
The UK honey market has experienced a significant uptick in recent times, with the sweet, viscous product not only serving as a pantry staple but also witnessing growing popularity conferred by its myriad health benefits. Honey, lauded for its antioxidant properties, prebiotic nature, and numerous other virtues, has captured the British consumer's imagination. With surging health consciousness among the populace, a survey from the British Nutrition Foundation revealed that around 60 to 65 percent of UK residents are altering their diets towards healthier offerings, with a substantial number keenly eyeing nutritional labels while shopping, showcasing a distinct shift in dietary habits. This consciousness is mirrored in honey sales, with an amount ranging between 25 and 35 thousand tons marking its presence in the UK market according to a report by Kantar. Despite the locally produced honey catering primarily to a niche segment of the market, the UK significantly relies on imports to satiate its honey demand. It's interesting to note that a significant portion of these imports, with a share exceeding 60 percent, derives from countries like New Zealand and China. Especially prevalent is the demand for monofloral types of honey, such as the highly prized Manuka honey. However, China's share in the market has been shadowed by controversy due to the adulteration concerns, leading to a fervent call for more robust honey purity testing methods among UK authorities. On the retail front, supermarkets such as Tesco and Asda hold dominant positions with turnovers in the realms of several billion, reflecting their significant role in honey retail.
Meanwhile, dedicated British honey producers like Rowse Honey and Littleover Apiaries, with turnovers ranging between under one to around 150 million USD, indicate that the local production is also burgeoning albeit at a slower pace. The UK honey market's size is evaluated to be worth around 140 to 145 million USD, signifying its robust presence within the region's economy. Moreover, as the market evolves with novel offerings such as hot honey, spirits infused with honey, and even CBD-infused honey, it underscores an innovative trajectory that resonates well with the British consumer's palate and preference for health-centric foods. Taking on a global outlook, this market, underpinned by diverse product offerings and bolstered by evident health-centric consumer trends, looks poised for further expansion and enrichment.
Key Players Shaping the Global and UK Honey Market Landscape
The honey market, a thriving nexus of sweetness and natural goodness, is not just about the product itself but the multifaceted roles of the companies that help bring this liquid gold from hives to homes. At the forefront of the global scene are several significant players, each contributing to the complex tapestry of the industry with their unique flavors, geographies, and market strategies.
- Dabur hails from India, a country with a rich heritage of natural products. As a company deeply rooted in Ayurvedic traditions, Dabur not only sells honey but also intertwines health and wellness into its product portfolio, appealing to consumers seeking health benefits beyond simple sweetness.
- Capilano Honey is Australia's sweet representative within the international market. With a focus on pure and high-quality honey, Capilano has made a name for itself as a provider of trustworthy and delicious products. Their initiatives have also encompassed sustainability and the support of local bee populations, as reflected in their ethical harvesting and production practices.
- From the picturesque landscapes of New Zealand arises Comvita, a key player revered for its Manuka honey—a variety known for its unique properties and health benefits. Comvita has managed to capture global attention through its Manuka products, contributing significantly to the premium segment of the market.
- Barkman Honey and Lamex Food Group are US-based companies that serve not only the American appetite for honey but also extend their reach across borders. Barkman Honey, in particular, prides itself on responsibly sourced honey, while Lamex Food Group operates as a versatile player in the global food industry, handling diverse products including honey.
- Billy Bee Honey Products and **Bee Maid Honey, both hailing from Canada, contribute significantly to North America's honey offering. Their commitment to purity and quality echoes the demands of a market increasingly concerned with the provenance and authenticity of food.
- Last but not least, Beeyond The Hive from the US rounds out this list of notable market players. As a family-owned business with a long history of beekeeping, they offer a personal touch to their honey, illustrating the importance of tradition and craftsmanship in the industry.
The UK market itself serves as a testament to the fragmented yet dynamic nature of honey distribution, with local players like Littleover Apiaries, New Quay Honey Farm, Heather Hills, and Payne's Southdown Bee Farms Ltd. all contributing to the local flavor.
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Definition and scope of the study
Honey is a sweet liquid produced by bees from nectar extracted from flowers; its main ingredients are carbohydrates, water, nitrogenous substances and minerals. Honey has many uses, such as spreads, ingredients, flavor enhancers, sugar substitutes, etc. The honey market includes the commercialization of honey, but also of all the products of the hive such as pollen, royal jelly or propolis.
The world honey market is expanding. In particular, the monofloral type of honey will drive demand in the future. according to UN Comtrade, the United States is the largest importer of honey in the world, followed by Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom.
Global players include Dabur (India), Capilano Honey (Australia), Comvita (New Zealand), Barkman Honey (U.S.), Bee Maid Honey (Canada), Lamex Food Group (U.S.), Billy Bee Honey Products (Canada) and Beeyond The Hive (U.S.).
In the United Kingdom, honey is the first most popular sweet spread, by retail value. The average annual growth rate of honey as a sweet spread is estimated at 4.1% through 2024. There are several reasons for this, including the health benefits of honey and its role in providing sweetness. In addition, premiumization is helping to drive sales.
The market structure in the UK is fragmented, with multiple small players distributing the product. For example, the Honey Association has at least 11 members. In addition, external competition is fierce, with much of the honey consumption coming from imports. Indeed, the UK imports nearly four times what the country produces and exports.
1.2 The global market
Approximately *.* million tons of honey are consumed each year worldwide and global production has increased by **% in recent years.[***]
The global market is valued at USD *.** billion in **** and is expected to grow at a CAGR of *.*% from **** to ****.[***]
Global production has been steadily increasing for years, despite the inevitable setback caused by the Covid-** closures. As the chart shows, production has been growing at an average rate of *.*% between **** and ****.
World Honey Production World, **** - ****, in thousand tons Euromonitor
The concentration of production sees three continents as protagonists: Asia with a weight of **%, followed by Europe for **% and the Americas for **%. The first world producer is China, followed by Turkey, Iran and Argentina. [***]
Main honey producing countries World, ****, in thousands of tons FAO Europe is the second largest honey producing continent in the world with ***,*** tons (***) linked to **.* million hives and the work of more than ***,*** beekeepers. On average, each European beekeeper has ** hives. The yield per hive shows significant differences between Member States: in Germany the average yield is ** kg/year, in Greece only * kg/year. In Italy, the average yield per hive is ** kg/year. [***]
1.3 The UK market
According to KBV, in ****, **% of honey sales in the UK were the result of imports from abroad. Assuming that this **% value remains constant, it is possible to give the following estimate of the UK honey market.
The UK honey market is therefore estimated to be worth ***.* million USD in ****.
UK Honey Market United Kingdom, ****-****, in million USD Source: ****
1.4 International Trade
With regard to honey, the UK is marked by a very large negative trade balance with a difference between the volume of imports and exports that has increased from **** to ****.
UK honey imports and exports United Kingdom, ****-****, in million USD Source: ****
Major beneficiaries of UK honey imports United Kingdom, ****, in percent Source: ****
Major beneficiaries of British honey exports United Kingdom, ****, in percent Source: ****
2 Analysis of the demand
2.1 Growing popularity in the UK.
Honey sales in the UK in **** amounted to **,*** tons of honey.[***]
In addition, The Guardian reports that honey has become in the last few years the favorite spread condiment of the British.
This success can be partly explained by a number of natural virtues, which are also detailed by RAW. Honey is among others :
an antioxidant, a prebiotic, soothing for the vocal cords, a blood pressure reducing agent, a cholesterol-lowering agent, an antibacterial, rich in vitamins.
This can be linked to a general trend in the development of the importance of healthy eating for people in the UK.
Indeed, the British Nutrition Foundation has shown through the results of a survey dating from **** that **% of the inhabitants of the United Kingdom have changed their diet to some extent with the aim of achieving a healthier diet.
Another interesting result of the study, which indicates a change in British consumer habits towards food products, is that **% of the respondents said they read nutrition information on labels when shopping and **% of respondents paid particular attention to this information when buying new products.
2.2 Demand trends
Spicy honey
Hot honey is a trend that came from the United States and has recently appeared in the UK. In fact, the results of a survey conducted among professionals in the British restaurant industry named "Hot honey" as a must-have for ****.
The condiment had already appeared on the menu of the Pizza Express chain in **** for the holiday season. While only *% of the population had tried the product in ****, **% wanted to try it in ****.
Source: ****
This trend is part of a general resurgence in the popularity of spicy foods, observed by over **% of respondents. In addition, **% of respondents said they were considering to eat more spicy food in ****.
Spirits
The British Honey Company saw an increase in spirits sales in **** beyond the company's estimates. [***]
This strong demand reflects a growing popularity of spirits that include honey. Indeed, the British company now offers ** different brands of spirits compared to only ** honey products.
3 Market structure
3.1 British honey production
The honey making process consists of the following steps:
Extraction of nectar from flowers (***) by adult worker bees Transmission of the nectar in the hives with ingestion of the nectar by the bees which transform it via a succession of enzymatic digestions Elimination of the excess humidity in the hive by the bees with their wings before sealing the cells to ensure the conservation of honey Slow finalization of the binding of nectar to enzymes and wax within the hive Final decanting of the product to remove wax residues (***)
Source: ****
It is complex to have exact numbers for the bee population but BeeBase estimated the honey producing bee population to be over ***,*** in ****. The following table shows the breakdown of this population in the UK.
Since most of the honey consumed in the United Kingdom comes from abroad, the production of British honey is simply intended for limited local consumption.
Among the main British honey producers, we find the following companies, most of which have a turnover of less than £* million:
Littleover Apiaries New Quay Honey Farm Heather Hills Payne's Southdown Bee Farms Ltd
This bee protection plan is based on the following four points
Work on biosecurity standards to limit ...
3.2 The Manuka Honey Segment
A virtuous honey
Manuka honey is a honey native to New Zealand produced from the Leptospermum scoparium flower. This honey benefits from several therapeutic virtues that give it an advantage over other categories of honey. These particularities are mainly due to the methylglyoxal present in the flower which is the active agent responsible for the antibacterial effects.
Healthline magazine proposes the following list of virtues of this honey:
Acceleration of wound healing Improvement of oral hygiene Relief of throat irritations Prevention of gastric ulcers Relief of digestive disorders symptoms Relief of cystic fibrosis symptoms Treatment of acne
Opening to competition
As we have seen when analyzing British honey imports, New Zealand is the first beneficiary of these imports in value. This advantage is to be put to the benefit of the Manuka honey which originates from there. Indeed, the term Manuka is a Maori name.
However, the UK Intellectual Property Office determined at the end of **** that the term Manuka was part of the English language as a descriptive tool, despite the Maori origin of the name. This decision is not without consequences for honey production, as it means that manufacturers outside New Zealand can use the term to describe their ...
3.3 Controversial honey imports from China
The importance of Chinese honey imports
The United Kingdom is a major beneficiary of Chinese honey exports. Indeed, before the health crisis in ****, the UK was the largest European importer of Chinese honey, accounting for **% of European imports, far ahead of Spain (***).
However, studies of this honey available in British supermarkets at very affordable prices have shown it to be the most adulterated in Europe.[***]
Honey imported from China is a more affordable product. At British supermarket giant Tesco, a ***g jar of clear Tesco Stockwell honey cost just **p compared to £*.** for the same amount of premium British honey. Manufacturers can afford to offer such low prices by often diluting their honey with inexpensive sweet syrup, as the Beijing Beekeeping Research Institute reported in March ****.[***]
A lack of purity testing methods
The development of these fraudulent practices has required authorities to conduct research to develop more effective honey purity testing techniques. One example is the recent development of nuclear magnetic resonance. The process consists in inserting the tested product in a magnetic field in order to generate a spectrum whose observation allows to recognize the products present via the levels of the different frequencies.
These techniques have been tested on ...
4 Analysis of the offer
4.1 Typology of the offer
The following table gives an overview of the types of honey sold in the UK and their prices on large British distributors' websites such as Tesco or Asda.
Source: ****
It should also be noted that most of these honeys also exist in an "Organic" version sold for a slightly higher price.
4.2 Other products containing honey
The offer also extends to a wide variety of honey-based products.
First, Rowse Honey has launched a line of fusion products:
Smokey fusion: honey infused with garlic, black pepper and chipotle peppers Chili fusion: honey infused with chili peppers Chocobee: a blend of honey and cocoa
These honeys are sold in squeezable plastic containers and are priced at around **p per *** grams of product. [***]
Notable examplea include the brand KEEPR's of the British Honey Company or the Devon Rum Company which infuses its rum with honey from Devon.
The following table gives an overview of the most popular examples and their price points.
Source: ****
For example, the Honey Heaven website offers ***g jars of infused honey at £**.
5 Regulation
5.1 Regulation in the UK
The production and sale of honey in the United Kingdom is regulated by The Honey Regulations dating from ****.
This legislation defines honey as the sweet substance produced by Apis mellifera bees. The text also defines * categories of honey:
baker's honey: suitable for industrial use and may be used as an ingredient in the manufacture of another food product blossom honey or nectar honey : obtained with the nectar of the plant chunk honey or cut comb in honey : containing one or more pieces of honeycombs comb honey : stored in honeycombs drained honey : obtained after draining honey without cells extracted honey : obtained after centrifuging honey without cells filtered honey : obtained after removing organic or inorganic components to reduce the amount of pollen present honeydew honey : obtained mainly from the excretions of insects pressed honey : obtained by compressing honeycombs
The text also provides a strict framework around the product:
Honey must be predominantly composed of sugars (***) and organic acids, enzymes or solid particles resulting from the collection of the product. Its appearance can range from colourless to dark brown. Its consistency can be fluid, viscous, partially or fully crystallized. Its taste and aroma are derived from its plant of origin. No ingredients or food ...
6 Positioning of the actors
6.1 Segmentation
- Tesco
- Asda
- Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc
- Rowse Honey Ltd
- The British Honey Company Plc
- Sainsbury
- Payne's Southdown Bee Farms Limited
- Littleover Apiaries Limited
- Heather Hills Farm Limited
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