During the weekend, the 'Analab' laboratory in Pančevo, Serbia, was robbed, and vital equipment for detecting counterfeit honey was taken, as reported by the Serbian Beekeepers' Organization Federation (SPOS).

This equipment is not only the sole tool in Serbia but also the only one currently in Europe that can identify fraudulent honey.

According to the SPOS statement, this theft has jeopardized the national security of Serbia and Europe, as EIM-IRMS is the only accredited method currently available in Europe that can detect all types of foreign added sugars in honey during the falsification process.

SPOS expressed deep concerns in their announcement, stating, "This technology is unique in the world and invaluable, making it impossible to quantify the actual damage incurred, as it is immeasurable.

We are left with the question of how to proceed, for which we must provide answers in the coming days; otherwise, beekeeping in Serbia, already facing significant losses during winter, may have to shut down all apiaries due to the lack of tools to combat an increasingly rampant honey mafia."

Following the notification of the police regarding the theft at the laboratory, the public prosecutor is expected to take necessary actions within their jurisdiction.

In a conversation with media outlet 'Blic', SPOS president Rodoljub Živadinović mentioned that the organization is awaiting official information on the measures that state authorities will undertake, "after which we will issue additional statements."

Without the operational capacity of this laboratory, Živadinović reiterated, "domestic beekeeping is destroyed and ceases to exist.

Because today, there are countless fakes on the market, as honey imported into the EU undergoes their analyses and spreads unimpeded to a vast number of consumers.

On the other hand, there are only three innovative laboratory analyses capable of detecting counterfeit honey—our own, one in Estonia, and another in Austria.

However, only the Serbian method has been accredited until now.

Thus, we do not know how long it will take—perhaps several months, or even a year or more—for the methods used in Estonia and Austria to be confirmed and receive the appropriate accreditation.

This process will be lengthy, and until then, our hands are tied."

It has been noted that honey is a product that can be relatively easily falsified.

Counterfeit honey typically consists of some form of sugar syrup derived from rice and potatoes, and, additionally, may contain pesticides and heavy metals.

In a study conducted in Serbia in 2023 using the newly accredited method for detecting food and beverage falsifications, out of 25 honey samples tested from the market, 22 failed authenticity tests, meaning that 88% of the samples were found to have some form of sugar added to them.

Similarly, research conducted in the EU that year revealed that 70 out of 123 foreign companies importing honey into the EU were selling honey containing sugar syrups.

Notably, of these companies, 20 were identified as originating from China, with others from Ukraine, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Turkey.

The detection of counterfeit honey has become increasingly complicated over recent years due to modern homogenization machinery that has produced "copies" closely resembling authentic bee products.

EIM-IRMS, the stolen method employed by 'Analab', remains the only accredited technique across Europe capable of identifying all types of foreign added sugars in honey during the falsification process.