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As if bees weren’t having a hard enough time of it lately, now there’s this: According to a report released last week by Food Safety News, the vast majority of store-bought honey sold in this country isn’t technically honey.
You see, the Food and Drug Administration requires any product labeled “honey” to contain pollen, which is reasonable enough. Unfortunately, many manufacturers seem to disagree—testing done for Food Safety News revealed that 76 percent of grocery store products claiming to be honey do not actually contain pollen. Instead, the substance lurking within the confines of those innocent-looking plastic bears is merely ultrafiltered golden sludge that probably came from China.
Ultrafiltering is a process that waters down honey and removes much of its nutritional value along with its pollen. The reason that Chinese producers love ultrafiltering is simple: honey laundering.
Like American corn, Chinese honey is cheap and heavily subsidized. In 2001, the Federal Trade Commission began imposing high tariffs on it because its abundance on the U.S. market had been driving American honey producers out of business. Since pollen is the only sure way to determine where honey originates, ultrafiltering has made it possible for the Chinese to continue dumping their honey on the U.S., often by channeling it through other countries.
And if that’s not shady enough, Chinese honey has been found to contain illegal animal antibiotics. A decade ago, tainted honey that came to the U.S. through Canada was sold to Smucker’s and Sara Lee, resulting in the recall of 12,000 cases of honey and a half-million loaves of bread.
A rep for the FDA told FSN that the organization hasn’t halted any honey imports because it has “yet to detect ‘ultra-filtered’ honey.” But should it be detected, “we will refuse entry.” Given that many in the honey industry expressed doubt that the FDA checks more than five percent of honey imports, that’s cold comfort for both consumers and bees.
Until the FDA steps up its game, you might want to be careful about where you buy. Food Safety News's tests, which were conducted by “one of the nation’s premier melissopalynologists,” found that 100 percent of honey sampled from big drugstore chains contained no pollen, as did 77 percent of the honey from big-box stores like Walmart and Costco, and 76 percent of the honey from grocery chains including Kroger, Safeway, and Giant Eagle. One bee expert told FSN that “unless you’re buying from a beekeeper, you’re at risk.”
The good news is that consumers do have a modicum of power: All of the honey FSN sampled from food co-ops, farmers’ markets, and “natural” chains like Trader Joe’s and PCC contained the full amount of pollen. And while those sources won’t do much to stem the tide of dodgy honey flowing from China, it’s probably best to take sweet relief where you can find it.
Image source: Flickr member cthoyes under Creative Commons
I live in China, and I bring my own supply of honey back from my local farmer's market in Australia whenever I visit home. Enough said. What a swindle.
Glad I have farmer's market Honey around.
The Food Safety News article fails to distinguish between "filtration" (USDA-approved) and "ultra filtration" (FDA-prohibited). More info at this link:
http://www.ghfllc.com/news/2011/2011-11-08.pdf
If you're not buying from a local farmer's market, try something like Really Raw Honey from the health food store. Much better, safer, tastier. Other similar brands can be good, too - but for your taste & health's sake, avoid the Chinese gunk
My last jar was from a local place. That said, no where in the article was actual taste/use brought up. If 2 products taste/feel the same, then why get all worked up? The nutritional value of honey is next to nil to start, so there's little point in what's lost. Illegal antibiotics sound scary, but why is it illegal and was it in a harmful dose? Finally, "Food Safety News" sounds... Well, not a...+READ
My last jar was from a local place. That said, no where in the article was actual taste/use brought up. If 2 products taste/feel the same, then why get all worked up? The nutritional value of honey is next to nil to start, so there's little point in what's lost. Illegal antibiotics sound scary, but why is it illegal and was it in a harmful dose? Finally, "Food Safety News" sounds... Well, not a very neutral organization. That it seems to be funded by a law firm that deals with foodborne illnesses raises doubt.-COLLAPSE
This is good to know. I've alway thought the bear bottled honey tasted funny, so about 10 yrs ago I stopped purchasing it and started buying from local beekeepers. Besides being better tasting I've found local honey to be less expensive per oz and with more variety offered. I especially like raw honey in the comb.
... So glad I buy local-- not out of snobbery, but rather allergies. Consuming local pollen gets rid of my allergies! Local stores (warehouse, co-ops, chains) have honey from local farms/apiaries 'round my parts, in addition to brands, store-brands, etc. honey.
:( Honey is tasty stuff, sad to see unscrupulous types (Chinese or otherwise) ruining it!
So, I have never had real honey in my life? Wow. So I guess that means that from now on, I'll be buying from the natural food market down the street. So disappointing.
This story has been the buzz recently and I hope it sticks in consumers minds this time. China has been selling adulturated honey loaded with harmful chemicals since it started to export it in the early 1980's.
Unfortunately the FDA, the companies like Sue Bee and even the National Honey Board aren't doing much about as this 2009 story about honey laundering writes
...+READ
This story has been the buzz recently and I hope it sticks in consumers minds this time. China has been selling adulturated honey loaded with harmful chemicals since it started to export it in the early 1980's.
Unfortunately the FDA, the companies like Sue Bee and even the National Honey Board aren't doing much about as this 2009 story about honey laundering writes
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Honey-Laundering-Tainted-product-still-slips-1298413.php#page-2
Consumers need to vote with their pocket books. Consumers need to let the brands on the supermarket and drugstore stores they wont be buying their honey until they are assured of getting a quality product. No one else is going to watch the honey jar.-COLLAPSE
Frankboni
The article says where to get the real stuff ... "All of the honey FSN sampled from food co-ops, farmers’ markets, and “natural” chains like Trader Joe’s and PCC contained the full amount of pollen. "
This so sad! I buy, and use quite a bit of store-bought honey, and now I feel like I am being ripped off. Who markets the real stuff, and where can I get it?
Just set up my first beehive in May, hoping to enjoy some honey this spring
Buy local. We have Hector's Honey Farm. Nice.