The competition watchdog has launched an urgent investigation into Australia's honey industry, saying allegations of "fake" honey are "very concerning".

It follows a joint Fairfax/7.30 investigation in which Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) tests of honey at German laboratory QSI revealed almost half the samples were adulterated and unwittingly being sold as "pure" in Australia.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's (ACCC) chief, Rod Sims told 7.30, "We had a team on it straight away".

"We had to pull them off other things they were doing," Mr Sims said.

QSI tested 28 jars of honey from supermarkets around Australia and found 12 contained adulterated honey.

Four out of the six IGA Black and Gold private label came back adulterated, two of the six Aldi Bramwell's Mixed Blossom private label brands failed the test, and six out of eight of Capilano's Allowrie brand tested positive for adulterated honey.

Australian-sourced honey passed.

Capilano said it imported only from trusted suppliers and tested every batch for authenticity.

There is no suggestion it or the other companies were aware of the alleged adulteration.

Mr Sims said the ACCC took seriously anything that could mislead consumers.

"I know it's just an allegation but we are always concerned because we want consumers to get what they're paying for," he said.

"I think there's a chance that some consumers have been misled, that's the allegation we are investigating.

"Whenever you've got allegations coming from such a credible source about such an important staple product, then it becomes a very high priority for us."

Capilano does about-face on NMR testing

Allowrie brand honey was one of the samples which NMR tests showed was adulterated ( ABC Rural: David Claughton )

Capilano rejected the accuracy of the NMR testing on its Allowrie brand of honey when the results were first revealed.

But had since released a statement saying Australia needed to develop its own NMR testing facility.

And it even offered to help fund it.

"Capilano, with other industry players and requested Federal Government support, will fund the establishment of an Australian-based NMR facility for honey testing," the statement said.

"This is in recognition that overseas facilities mentioned in recent media reports are failing to give a consistency of results needed to reassure the Australian public."

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It's an about-face that has baffled Robert Costa, the man who bankrolled the tests.

"I'm completely bemused," he told 7.30.

"To come out one day and be critical of NMR as being a reliable test and saying it's not reliable, and then 24 hours later coming out saying we're going to fund NMR testing — I don't understand it."

Nationals Senator John Williams backed the honey testing but said it must be independent.

"We should have independent umpires doing the tests, determining whether the product is ridgey-didge or not — not the industry itself," he told 7.30.

"I would not be one bit happy with that at all.

"When you buy a product, you want to buy the product that you're paying for. You want to think you're getting a real McCoy, not a dud."