One of the traits of a beekeeper, wherever in the world they may be, is that they waste nothing.
This usually manifests itself in the reuse and repair of wooden hive parts, a process Turkish beekeepers have turned into an art form.
There is of course an aspect of necessity going on here. But, with Turkey the second largest global producer of honey, behind China, they are just well organised and have not yet fully adopted the westernised throw away culture.
If Turkey is ever able to achieve its ambition to join the EU, then it may need to prepare for an avalanche of paperwork. The UK regulations to charge 5p for carrier bags is 20 pages long in its simplified pdf.
Back to Turkish honey. Locally they sell in whatever jar they can find. Their jars and containers have no labels.
Meanwhile, back in the EU, the regulations regarding the labelling of honey are somewhat more complicated.
You might think this is a necessary evil for the protection of consumers. There are however, some statistics that suggest this isn’t working. It is reported that, in 2013 New Zealand produced c1,700 tonnes of manuka honey. However, sales of manuka honey are recorded at over 10,000 tonnes worldwide. So, what exactly are you buying when you pay £30+ for a jar of manuka honey? The odds suggest that it may not be what it claims, and perhaps not what you are paying a massive premium for.