Honey: specialities make the running It's always helped the medicine go down, but consumers now want a spoonful of sophistication with their honey Buoyed by an increasingly health conscious nation, honey has become a must stock item for retailers. It has grown from a cosy health food, recognised as helping to ease cold symptons, into a lucrative market for the masses, with blends sourced worldwide. Manuka honey from New Zealand, credited with being the only honey to ease stomach ulcers, has mainly been supplied through the health food trade, but is now being listed in multiples. Specialities are the money-spinners and they continue to grow with Tesco Finest, Sainsbury's Taste the Difference and Waitrose Select ranges increasing sales. Sainsbury's 350 Taste the Difference lines, launched in November, have made a big impact on sales. The range includes eight premium honeys. "Since the launch, our sales have gone up by 59%," says a spokeswoman. Own label dominates the sector with the big four multiples accounting for £18.3m share of the market [TNS]. The organic bandwagon continues to roll and that, says Rowse md Stuart Bailey, is why the organic sector accounts for 4% of the market. But stocking the right range at the right price is essential. He says price is still a big consideration for shoppers. "The most popular size for many honeys in a glass jar is 454g but pricing is an issue: £2 is perceived as a price barrier for the consumer and, for this reason, some of the dearer specialities are sold in 340g jars, and the very expensive, such as heather, in 227g." Occasion led promotions help increase household penetration and boost sales, and two of the biggest events are National Honey Week and Pancake Day, fuelling the demand for easy to use products such as squeezable bottles and reusable jug pourers. Bailey says: "Honey sales increase by 25% around Pancake Day. Our most successful pancake product is Easy Squeezy honey and lemon." The role honey plays in the kitchen is one the Honey Association's 12 members are keen to encourage. These companies sell 90% of the honey consumed in the UK. Nestlé claims honey has surged ahead of other spreads, and is the fourth largest sector after jam, marmalade and yeast extract, showing a 1.2% growth in value in the £37.4m market [ACNielsen]. In addition to supporting National Honey Week, its Gales brand continues to sponsor the National Trust's meadow restoration scheme. The bulk of BHC (Honey Suppliers)' range is for the own label market. It says the lines promoting adventurous cooking ­ honey with nuts, summer fruits, dried fruit and herbs ­ are gaining in popularity. Organic hive and mountain honey from Martlet Natural Foods is made from pollen from flowers and trees. This year it relaunched honey with banana, and honey with lime variants aimed at kids, while redesigned jars of honey royale set and clear honeys, containing ginseng, guarana, evening primrose oil, royal jelly and pollen are for adults. {{FOCUS SPECIALS }}