Assessment of Honey Handling Practices Along the Supply Chain From Gera District to Jimma Town, Southwestern Ethiopia

Honey is one of the agricultural products produced for different purposes as a food, and condiment, and has medicinal value. The quality and safety of honey supplied to the market are in question due to mishandling practices and suspected adulteration for unfair economic gain. This study aimed to assess honey handling practices along the supply chain from the Gera district to the main market destination (Jimma town) in the southwest part of Ethiopia. Information was gathered from a total of 292 sampled members of different chain actors (262 beekeeper households, 5 beekeeper cooperatives, and 25 retailers). Data on handling practices affecting quality and safety were collected through observation and interviews using pretested semi-structured questionnaires and focus group discussions. Most of the beekeeper households (88%) do not store many portions of harvested honey for more than six months; whereas, the majority of cooperative beekeepers (80%) store from 6 months to one year. In the study area, different types of plastic containers like jute sacks with polyethylene plastic lining (76%), clay pots (17%), bottle gourd, and containers made up of aluminum (7%) were commonly used honey packaging materials. Traders (73% in Chira, 40% in Agaro, and 44% in Jimma) store honey together with other commodities like wax and cow butter in the storage place. The majority of the household beekeepers (92%) and all of the cooperative respondents responded that the potential honey adulterants are flour of wheat and maize, banana fruit, cooked sweet potato, water, and most commonly with sugar syrup. Quick adulteration detection methods such as rubbing a small amount of honey sample between fingers, visually observing the clarity of the honey, and checking the aroma and odor of the honey were used in the study area. Generally, poor handling practices and adulteration at each supply chain actor in the study area could negatively affect the quality and safety of honey.