Honey and adulteration discourse in the media: A qualitative analysis from food safety and marketing communication perspectives

This study examines how the issue of honey adulteration is represented in the online news and institutional texts relevant to Türkiye, combining perspectives on food safety and marketing communication. A dataset comprising 15 media texts and 1 official statement published between 2019 and 2025 was evaluated using qualitative content analysis and framing analysis. The findings show that honey adulteration is framed in the media discourse under five main frameworks: (1) scandal and crisis, (2) regulatory authority, (3) independent oversight and disclosure, (4) consumer guidance, and (5) reliability and authenticity (the reliable honey narrative). The scandal-and-crisis frame highlights risk and insecurity through expressions such as deception and blacklisting. The regulatory authority framework foregrounds institutional control and trust by emphasising inspection capacity, laboratory testing, and state authority. Independent oversight and disclosure make themes of accountability, transparency, and social pressure visible through civil initiatives and public monitoring. The consumer guidance frame positions label reading, origin control, certification checks, and traceability as everyday signals of trust. Finally, the reliability and authenticity frame constructs a positive meaning world around local origin, certified quality schemes, and brand storytelling, implicitly positioning real honey as a premium and trustworthy category. The study reveals how media discourse establishes a risk-and-solution-based approach to brand trust, price perception, and origin image, and how transparency and trust-building are established in the honey sector.