Honey consumption has increased across the globe over the years due to consumer demand for quality natural sweeteners in place of the usual sugar. In view of this, honey has become one of the most adulterated food products on the global market as traders want to meet the huge demand for their selfish gains.
This has raised a lot of concerns by the consumers on the adulteration of honey in the markets, creating fear and panic. The maiden honey festival and international bee day 2021, a festival that would be held at CSIR Forestry Research Institute, Kumasi to discuss the role of bees and pollinators to humans, honey quality and safety, sensory analysis of honey, and the honey adulteration replacement tasting.
Speaking to Agric Today Media, Dr. Courage Besah-Adanu, Research Scientist at CSIR and the Coordinator of Ghana National Apiculture Platform (GHANAP), said the main objective of the Honey-Fest, with the theme: A Spotlight on Pollinators, Beekeeping, and Honey Safety for Sustainable Livelihoods and Biodiversity Conservation, is to create a common platform for honey producers, researchers, consumers and other stakeholders in the industry to share knowledge and innovation for the growth of the industry.
“The festival seeks to provide the largest networking platform for stakeholders in the industry, and to use the United Nation’s Bee Day to help the players in the industry to deliberately discuss the role bees and other pollinators play in contributing to human sustenance”, Dr. Besah-Adanu added.
Determining the adulteration of honey by the consumers, Dr Besah-Adanu explained that pure honey can be crystalized which does not mean it is unwholesome and all honey do not have the same colour, taste or smell to determine its adulteration.
According to him, honey consumers should take advantage of this festival to educate themselves on the quality of honey or what constitutes honey since there is a lot of controversy surrounding the liquid called honey.
He underscored the need for such a festival to be used to generate the needed energy to drive the industry and the energy generated benefiting producers, processors, and the consumers whose interest is to get unique honey to consume.
The Ghana Honey-Festival 2021 would take place at the premises of the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR-FORIG, Fumesua near Ejisu in Kumasi on Thursday, 20 May 2021. All beekeepers, honey merchants and smallholder safety business who want to exhibit their products could contact the following numbers. +233 240927205; +233 242912306 & 0246630512 by 14th May 2021.
