Prince reform
The company Fürsten-Reform Dr. med. Hans Plümer Nachf. GmbH & Co. KG , Braunschweig -Wenden, is a third-generation owner-managed company. As the largest bottler and distributor of honey in Germany, the annual turnover of Fürsten-Reform after the takeover of the Langnese honey division from the Oetker Group in 2005 amounted to 100 million euros. The company has bottling plants in Braunschweig and Bargteheide.
The shareholder of the GmbH & Co. KG today is "Heinrich Schulze Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH", the managing partner is Heinrich Schulze, the son of the founder of the Bihophar brand (originally Biophar , see below). Heinrich Schulze was the first chairman of the honey association at the Waren-Verein der Hamburger Börse eV until June 2013
Brands
- Langnese (only for honey) market leader in Germany (25% market share). The Bargteheide bottling plant has an annual capacity of 20,000 tons or 30 million jars of honey. The Langnese company was founded in 1927 by Karl Rolf Seyferth. With Flotte Biene , Langnese also introduced a dispenser bottle in 1997.
- Bihophar (until 2006: Biophar , see below): Under this brand, Fürsten-Reform sells a wide range of traditional honeys and honeys from various regions worldwide. In total, Bihophar has over 60 different types of honey in its range.
- Dr. Krieger's Bienenhonig (subsidiary "Dr. Wilhelm Krieger's Bienenhonig GmbH & Co. KG", Magdeburg )
Product quality
The " rape - Klee " -Honey of Bihophar - taken in May 2011 by Bihophar from the market - came from Canada , where about 20% of the cultivated oilseed rape genetically are changed. In an investigation carried out on behalf of the consumer magazine Öko-Test in April 1998, a laboratory discovered pollen from genetically modified oilseed rape plants in this type of honey , which are not permitted in Europe. Bihophar did not inform consumers about this. The honey did not have to be labeled according to the food regulations of the time. The reason given by the Federal Ministry of Health responsible at the time was that honey made from genetically modified rape pollen was not a novel food produced within the meaning of the Food Act , but a feed product , because the pollen and nectar would be eaten by the bees.
Another test of Biophar's “honeycomb-proof summer blossom honey” in 2002 found a (low) sulfathiazole content, an antibiotic whose use in bees is not permitted under an EU regulation. Fürsten-Reform then submitted a counter-opinion, according to which the honey was not contaminated. The honey is also homogenized before filling , so a different test result is not possible within the same batch . However, according to the Öko-Test, this is quite possible.
In a further test by the Stiftung Warentest in April 2004, the Biophar mixed blossom honey beekeeper selection received the verdict as good .
According to the Öko-Test yearbook for 2007, high levels of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) were found in the group's honeys (Dr. Krieger's bee honey: 36.9 mg / kg; Fürsten-Reform “cold-thrown”: over 30 mg / kg HMF). This sugar breakdown product occurs when honey is heated too much or not properly stored; the content increases by around two to three milligrams per kilogram every year during storage. For comparison: The German Beekeeping Association prescribes a maximum value of 15 mg / kg for its quality honey , the German Honey Ordinance (HonigV) a maximum of 40 mg / kg. Öko-Test writes about the result for the “cold-thrown” Fürsten-Reform-Honig: “Here we deducted an extra point, because the manufacturer advertises a particularly high quality with the addition“ cold-thrown ”. The German Food Book prescribes a maximum of 20 mg / kg HMF and a minimum of certain honey enzymes for such products. In itself, the term "spun cold" makes no sense, because honey is always spun at temperatures of 35 to 37 degrees - as is usual in a beehive. "
In an investigation by Stiftung Warentest 2009, no residues of pharmaceuticals or pesticides were found in the honeys from Fürsten-Reform. Pollen from genetically modified plants such as rapeseed, maize or soy was also not detected in the honey varieties examined. Langnese Mountain Blossom Honey and Langnese Flotte Biene Mountain Blossom Honey each received a grade of good (2.1), Bihophar Auslese Wabenecht Mountain Blossom Honey was awarded a grade of 2.2, Langnese Flotte Biene Wildflower Honey received a grade of 2.5. The Bihophar varieties Bihophar Transfair Fairtrade Latin American wildflower honey (2.6), Bihophar (organic) acacia honey (2.8), Bihophar rapeseed honey, real German honey (3.2) and Bihophar forest honey natural food received the grade satisfactory (3.5).
In a Greenpeace company survey in July 2005, Biophar gave an assurance that it did not use any ingredients made from genetically modified plants.
Until June 2006, a transitional regulation to the EU organic regulation was in effect , according to which companies that had the ingredient “organic” in their name were also allowed to sell conventionally produced products if they explicitly indicated the packaging. Since the deadline, the sale of conventionally produced honey under the name “Biophar” has no longer been allowed, which is why there is now a Bihophar brand with a similar logo .
Under the umbrella brand Bihophar , the company also sells honey with the Transfair seal for fair trade products from developing countries.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Paradoxon Honey Market , WirtschaftsWoche , November 3, 2006
- ↑ Regjo, the regional journal for southern Lower Saxony ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Source: Newsclick, October 8, 2005
- ↑ Langnese Historie ( Memento of the original from September 21, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Bihophar Products
- ↑ Source: Greenpeace magazine 5/1998 ( Memento of the original from September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Source: oekonews.de
- ↑ Honey test of the Stiftung Warentest test 4/2004
- ↑ Source: Öko-Test Yearbook for 2007 ( Memento of the original from September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Source: Honey test by Stiftung Warentest and Berliner Kurier March 26, 2009
- ↑ Source: bn-muenchen.de ( Memento of the original from June 26, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF file)
