"Honey is Good for Health": Patterns of honey purchasing and consumption in Lower Amazon

Abstract

We investigated the consumption habits and purchase patterns of honeys in the Lower Amazon, in order to support the apicultural activity and honeys marketing. We interviewed 600 potential honey consumers in supermarkets and farmers’ markets in the Metropolitan Region of Santarém, Northern Brazil. Most participants (57%) consume honey because it is a healthy (65%) or tasty (35%) product. Those who avoid consuming it (43%) justify such choice by their lack of habit (51.2%) or because they do not like the taste (30.2%). Interestingly, 35% of consumers said they had never actually bought honey. Meanwhile, 91.8% of usual buyers prefer buying honey directly from producers or at farmers’ markets. In this context, they mentioned color (48.6%) and texture (18.9%) as important characteristics for deciding to purchase honey. These consumers perceive honey as good for health and as a medicine and prefer to consume it pure. Finally, 44% of respondents did not consider honey a cheap product, although the price proved to be a less relevant criteria for purchasing. We conclude that the Metropolitan Region of Santarém provides consumers with limited information about regionally produced honey. However, we highlight that local producers transmit greater safety to consumers during the sale of honey.