Fooditive, a plant-based ingredient manufacturer, is working on the development of bee-free honey. The company announced that they found a way to copy the DNA of honey using fermentation enzymes to create a honey replica. According to the company, the vegan honey has the same texture, color, properties, and health benefits as regular bee-made honey. They plan to begin trials of the product at the beginning of next year.

“We feel like the next chapter of this journey has just begun. With the Support from our shareholders, clients, partners and our team we are focused to increase our impact and make a fundamental change in the industry,” said Moayad Abushokhedim, founder of Fooditive.

The Dutch company says that their product can be used in place of bee honey, which is great for the environment and the bees. The company has also developed other impressive vegan ingredient swaps, like vegan casein. Casein is the main protein in milk, and it is essential to make cheese.

Source: Earthling Ed/Youtube

The honey industry can take in more than 176 million pounds of honey every year, at a value of more than $215 million. Since “swarming” (the division of the hive upon the birth of a new queen) can cause a decline in honey production, beekeepers attempt to prevent it by clipping the wings of a new queen, killing and replacing an older queen after just one or two years, and confining a queen who is trying to begin a swarm. The queens are artificially inseminated, and many commercial beekeepers will “trick” queens into laying more eggs by adding wax cells to the hive that are larger than those that worker bees would normally build.

Bees need their honey for nourishment, especially during the winter. Industrial beekeepers want consumers to believe that honey is just a byproduct of the necessary pollination provided by honeybees, but honeybees are not as good at pollinating as many truly wild bees are. A worker bee may visit up to 10,000 flowers in one day, yet in his or her lifetime, produce only one teaspoonful of honey.

Honey, beeswax, and other bee products can also be found in lip balms, lotions, and other beauty products, but PETA maintains a list of cruelty-free products that are also bee-free. To learn more, please visit PETA.org. And if you want to do more to help save pollinators, including bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, and bats, the Disneynature documentary Wings of Life recommends planting a garden wherever possible.

Related Content:

• Just How Bad is Honey Farming?
• 10 Alternatives for Recipes that Usually Contain Honey
• Natural Sweeteners That Are Healthy Honey Substitutes
• The 5 Best Alternatives to Honey
• How Bees Benefit Other Living Things
• Hope for Honey Bees! New White House Program Works to Restore Declining Populations
• Here’s How You Can Save Honeybees

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