Description
“The Honey Trap: Sweet Lies on Bulgaria’s Market” is an investigative project by Agri.BG (Agrigate Media Ltd), exploring the scale of honey adulteration and food fraud in Bulgaria – a serious threat to public health, fair competition, and consumer trust.
In collaboration with Prof. Dimitar Grekov and the Agricultural University of Plovdiv, the team will collect and scientifically test honey samples from supermarkets, local stores, and farms to reveal how much of Bulgaria’s honey is fake or mislabelled.
By combining investigative journalism with independent scientific analysis, the project aims to deliver transparent, data-driven evidence that protects consumers, supports honest beekeepers, and strengthens efforts against food fraud in Bulgaria and across the EU.
“Every jar of honey should tell a story of nature, not deception. In Bulgaria, honey is more than a product – it’s a symbol of purity and tradition. When fake honey floods the market, it deceives consumers and destroys the trust that honest beekeepers have built for generations. With this investigation, we want to bring transparency and science into a space clouded by sweet lies”. — Hristina Vasileva, Agri.BG
Journalistic outputs
| Beekeeping interventions under question: what to drop and what to change In AgriGate Media |
05/01/2026 |
| Almost half of the honey in the EU is suspected of being adulterated In AgriGate Media |
14/01/2026 |
| Fake honey and the grey market or how food fraud hits real producers In AgriGate Media |
15/01/2026 |
| Honey for under 2 euros: The market that is killing European beekeepers In AgriGate Media |
17/01/2026 |
Project Team
Media outlet
Research organisation
The Agricultural University – Plovdiv
Plovdiv, Bulgaria
https://www.au-plovdiv.bg/en/
The Agricultural University – Plovdiv
