Survey on Honey Usage and Selection: Real Usage Patterns Heard from 300 People (Sugi Bee Garden Survey)
Sugi Bee Garden conducted a survey on honey usage and selection among 300 consumers. Approximately 80% use honey regularly, mainly with bread and yogurt. Health consciousness and using it as a sugar substitute were common reasons, indicating honey's diverse integration into daily life.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 12, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 12, 2026 at 11:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 12, 2026 at 12:35 (1h 3m after Collected)
Honey is a familiar food that can be easily incorporated into daily life, not only as an accompaniment to bread and yogurt but also in drinks and cooking. Therefore, its uses and expectations reflect real-life sensibilities rooted in daily eating habits.
To understand this, Sugi Bee Garden (https://www.0038.co.jp/ec/), a specialty honey store, conducted a survey targeting 300 people who purchase honey at least once a year, regarding how they incorporate and choose honey. The survey asked about the situations in which they usually use honey, what points they prioritize when choosing it, and what image they have of honey.
Some people incorporate it into their daily meals, while others use it differently depending on the occasion, showing a variety of ways people interact with honey. This article analyzes how honey is chosen and utilized in daily life, based on the trends observed from the survey results.
Q1. How often do you use honey?
The most common frequency of honey use was "several times a month," at 39.3% (118 people). This was followed by "several times a week" at 24.7% (74 people), and "almost daily" at 14.7% (44 people). Although there are differences in frequency, it is clear that many people incorporate honey into their daily lives.
In particular, combining "several times a month," "several times a week," and "almost daily" totals 78.7% (236 people), indicating that approximately 80% of people continuously utilize honey. Honey appears to be a familiar food that is naturally chosen not only as a daily staple but also according to the situation, such as for cooking, drinks, or health management.
Q2. For what purposes do you use honey? (Multiple selections allowed)
The most common use for honey was "spreading on bread/toast," accounting for 66.0% (198 people), or about two-thirds of the total. This was followed by "pouring over yogurt" at a high 51.0% (153 people), indicating that easy ways to add sweetness are widely adopted.
Additionally, "using in cooking (stews, teriyaki, etc.)" was 35.3% (106 people), and "making drinks (lemon honey, etc.)" was 31.0% (93 people), showing that its use as a seasoning and drink also garners significant support. Furthermore, "adding to tea/coffee" was 26.7% (80 people), indicating that a considerable number of people use it as a sugar substitute.
On the other hand, "eating as is" was 13.7% (41 people), and "using in confectionery" was 10.7% (32 people), showing that honey is incorporated not only for daily use but also for enjoyment.
Moreover, while "for beauty purposes (face packs, etc.)" was not high at 3.7% (11 people), the fact that it is used in beauty contexts, in addition to being a popular food, suggests the expanding appeal of honey. *Note 1
"Other" was a small minority at 1.7% (5 people), but specific examples included consuming it "when one has a sore throat," "pouring over pancakes," "pouring over fruit granola," and using it as a hidden flavor in dishes like "curry."
*Note 1: While honey is noted for its use in skincare in addition to food, our company does not recommend direct skin application from a safety perspective. However, honey is appealing for its wide range of uses in cooking, drinks, and daily health routines. By incorporating it according to its purpose, you can enjoy a richer diet.
Q3. Please tell us the closest reason for using honey.
The most common reason for using honey was "for health consciousness," at 29.0% (87 people). This was closely followed by "as a sugar substitute" at 28.7% (86 people), and "because I like the taste" at 27.0% (81 people). This indicates that honey is chosen not only for health reasons but also for everyday reasons such as how sweetness is incorporated and personal preference.
All top three items clustered around 30%, which is characteristic of the fact that the purpose of using honey is not biased towards a single reason. While a certain number of people want to use it as a sugar substitute, it is also impressive that it is chosen for the simple reason of 'liking the taste.'
On the other hand, "for throat or health care" was 8.3% (25 people), and "no particular reason, it's a habit" was 7.0% (21 people). While some people associate honey with times when they are concerned about their physical condition, the results of this survey suggest that its ease of incorporation into daily eating habits, rather than limited specific situations, is a driving reason for its use.
To understand this, Sugi Bee Garden (https://www.0038.co.jp/ec/), a specialty honey store, conducted a survey targeting 300 people who purchase honey at least once a year, regarding how they incorporate and choose honey. The survey asked about the situations in which they usually use honey, what points they prioritize when choosing it, and what image they have of honey.
Some people incorporate it into their daily meals, while others use it differently depending on the occasion, showing a variety of ways people interact with honey. This article analyzes how honey is chosen and utilized in daily life, based on the trends observed from the survey results.
Q1. How often do you use honey?
The most common frequency of honey use was "several times a month," at 39.3% (118 people). This was followed by "several times a week" at 24.7% (74 people), and "almost daily" at 14.7% (44 people). Although there are differences in frequency, it is clear that many people incorporate honey into their daily lives.
In particular, combining "several times a month," "several times a week," and "almost daily" totals 78.7% (236 people), indicating that approximately 80% of people continuously utilize honey. Honey appears to be a familiar food that is naturally chosen not only as a daily staple but also according to the situation, such as for cooking, drinks, or health management.
Q2. For what purposes do you use honey? (Multiple selections allowed)
The most common use for honey was "spreading on bread/toast," accounting for 66.0% (198 people), or about two-thirds of the total. This was followed by "pouring over yogurt" at a high 51.0% (153 people), indicating that easy ways to add sweetness are widely adopted.
Additionally, "using in cooking (stews, teriyaki, etc.)" was 35.3% (106 people), and "making drinks (lemon honey, etc.)" was 31.0% (93 people), showing that its use as a seasoning and drink also garners significant support. Furthermore, "adding to tea/coffee" was 26.7% (80 people), indicating that a considerable number of people use it as a sugar substitute.
On the other hand, "eating as is" was 13.7% (41 people), and "using in confectionery" was 10.7% (32 people), showing that honey is incorporated not only for daily use but also for enjoyment.
Moreover, while "for beauty purposes (face packs, etc.)" was not high at 3.7% (11 people), the fact that it is used in beauty contexts, in addition to being a popular food, suggests the expanding appeal of honey. *Note 1
"Other" was a small minority at 1.7% (5 people), but specific examples included consuming it "when one has a sore throat," "pouring over pancakes," "pouring over fruit granola," and using it as a hidden flavor in dishes like "curry."
*Note 1: While honey is noted for its use in skincare in addition to food, our company does not recommend direct skin application from a safety perspective. However, honey is appealing for its wide range of uses in cooking, drinks, and daily health routines. By incorporating it according to its purpose, you can enjoy a richer diet.
Q3. Please tell us the closest reason for using honey.
The most common reason for using honey was "for health consciousness," at 29.0% (87 people). This was closely followed by "as a sugar substitute" at 28.7% (86 people), and "because I like the taste" at 27.0% (81 people). This indicates that honey is chosen not only for health reasons but also for everyday reasons such as how sweetness is incorporated and personal preference.
All top three items clustered around 30%, which is characteristic of the fact that the purpose of using honey is not biased towards a single reason. While a certain number of people want to use it as a sugar substitute, it is also impressive that it is chosen for the simple reason of 'liking the taste.'
On the other hand, "for throat or health care" was 8.3% (25 people), and "no particular reason, it's a habit" was 7.0% (21 people). While some people associate honey with times when they are concerned about their physical condition, the results of this survey suggest that its ease of incorporation into daily eating habits, rather than limited specific situations, is a driving reason for its use.