Beechworth Honey is urging residents to check product labels and chose 100 per cent Australian honey products, as beekeepers struggle to compete with cheaper imported or diluted honey.
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Save the Bees has called for a boycott of Woolworths and ALDI after they failed to follow in Coles’ footsteps and pull Capilano Honey's Allowrie product off their shelves.
The product contains 70 per cent imported honey from countries including Argentina or China.
Ben McKee, chief executive of the ASX-listed Capilano, confirmed all Capilano branded product contained 100 per cent Australian sourced honey.
Beechworth Honey’s Jodie Goldsworthy labelled Coles’ decision as “a win for Australian families”, but stopped short at supporting the boycott of other supermarkets.
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She said there were risks involved in imported honey.
“Being fourth generation beekeepers ourselves we understand that the quality risks associated with honey from countries like China are vastly different to Australia,” she said.
“That is why we have never imported honey. We made a decision way back in 2004 that we would not feed imported honey to our family and so therefore we would not import it to feed to other families.”
Save Our Bees Australia claims imported honey is increasingly common, with 10 million kilograms of honey imported in 2015 compared to 2.5 million in 2013.
Despite calls for a boycott Woolworths defended its stocking of imported products, saying they were affordable alternatives.
“Allowrie is a good quality product, offering an affordable price point for customers on a budget,” a spokesman said earlier.
Mrs Goldsworthy it was important Australian honey remained competitive and supported at home.
“It is crucial that Australian beekeepers have well functioning markets for their products so that we have viable Australian beekeepers who underpin the pollination of two-thirds of our Australian agricultural production,” Mrs Goldworthy said.
“We urge all customers to check the labels and choose 100 per cent Australian honey from reputable companies that they can be assured can provide traceability for their products back to the beehive.”
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