Survey Says: Honey Consumption on the Rise

LONGMONT, Colo. (February 9, 2022) – Following on annual gains in positive perceptions of honey, U.S. consumers also reported significant upticks in honey usage this past year. The increase, revealed in the National Honey Board Consumer Attitudes & Usage Study 2021, follows a pattern of growth for self-reported usage seen since 2019.

Consumers who selected honey as their most preferred sweetener cited attributes like 'natural,' 'good for the environment,' 'organic,' a source of antioxidants,' and 'flavorful.’ Data from the survey confirms the National Honey Board’s marketing campaign focusing on ‘good for me, good for the planet,’ continues to resonate with American consumers, who are interested in how honey promotes healthy honey bees.

The growing demand for honey in the United States is also confirmed by data from the USDA Sugar and Sweeteners Outlook with 2020 use at 571 million pounds, up about 8 percent from 2019.

“Now more than ever, we’re seeing consumers make extremely thoughtful decisions about food,” said Margaret Lombard, chief executive officer of the National Honey Board. “This focus has correlated to the increase in honey popularity due to consumers’ desire to know where their food comes from and their preference for foods that are naturally produced. Consumers know that honey is made by bees from the nectar of flowers – and you can't get closer to nature than that.”

The National Honey Board Consumer Attitudes & Usage Study 2021 tracking study, fielded in May 2021, comprised an online quantitative survey of over 2000 people identified as the primary shopper in their household. The survey was balanced to age and ethnicity as reflected in the Census.

For the full report, please visit: https://honey.com/images/files/2021-NHB-AU.pdf

About National Honey Board

The NHB is an industry-funded agriculture promotion group that works to educate consumers about the benefits and uses for honey and honey products through research, marketing and promotional programs. The Board's work, funded by an assessment on domestic and imported honey, is designed to increase the awareness and usage of honey by consumers, the foodservice industry and food manufacturers. The ten-member-Board, appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, represents producers (beekeepers), packers, importers and a marketing cooperative. For more information, visit www.honey.com.

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