What's new

Honey - No it's not

I saw this article also. It was really interesting, since my Grandad was a beekeeper. I've consumed more honey in my lifetime than anyone I know, but since he's been gone (about 10 years) I've bought maybe one bottle of honey. I'll stick to the farmers' market.
 
Last edited:
Yikes! Luckily we have a beekeeper two miles away, but I have purchased the big box store ones. Not any more though.
 
I see the problem, but "In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration says that any product that's been ultra-filtered and no longer contains pollen isn't honey" is ridiculous. Just because you can't trace its origin that doesn't stop it being honey. What happens if they add in pollen from the U.S. - does it suddenly become honey again? Does it become safe because it contains U.S. pollen? Of course not. They may as well legislate that the sky is green in China. Declaring it as a law doesn't make it fact.

If filtered honey without pollen isn't honey, then what about cow's milk that's been filtered and pasteurised? Can you not call it milk because it hasn't got bits of grass in it?

Sorry for the rant but this kind of bureaucratic nonsense winds me up. :mad2:
 
I wonder if this is why I cannot stand the taste of store-bought honey. I hated the stuff until my mom bought a jar from a local beekeeper. Not only does it taste far better, but store-bought honey hurts my stomach big time.
There's a family that lives near my brother who have beehives that harvest pollen from their herb garden instead of from flowers. It's not as sweet, and has a naturally spiced flavor. It's outta this world!
 
Ugh, thanks for posting that link. I'm going to be a lot more careful about honey-flavored products now (i.e., honey maple turkey) as I'm sure a lot of the cheap Chinese product ends up used as an ingredient in other stuff.

Support your local beekeeper!
 

The Count of Merkur Cristo

B&B's Emperor of Emojis
I remember when I was young, my Mom only bought honey from the beekeeper and the Mrs. and I had no idea there was such a big trade in smuggled and/or less in healty Chinese honey either. So it's U.S. beekeeper honey for us (plus it's so cool to travel to the country to visit the keeper, their hives, observe the whole honey process and supporting the local beekeeper community). :thumbsup:

That said, it was not too hard to find quality beekeepers (Bienenzüchter), when we were in Germany (farmers / christmas markets).

proxy.php
"The keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams". Henry David Thoreau
 
Last edited:
I usually get my honey from the supermarket. So even if it says Product of the USA on it, it could be Chinese honey?
I saw honey being sold at the farmers market near me, I will have to check it out. I will have to stock up though because in 2 weeks the farmers market is over until May. Id rather not have to drive out of the way to get my honey fix.
 
I usually get my honey from the supermarket. So even if it says Product of the USA on it, it could be Chinese honey?
I saw honey being sold at the farmers market near me, I will have to check it out. I will have to stock up though because in 2 weeks the farmers market is over until May. Id rather not have to drive out of the way to get my honey fix.

Honey is one of the very few things I buy into the "local/organic" hype about. Every honey tastes different based on region, pollen, etc. It can be like wine in that regard. I always try a little local honey whenever I travel.
 
Honey is one of the very few things I buy into the "local/organic" hype about. Every honey tastes different based on region, pollen, etc. It can be like wine in that regard. I always try a little local honey whenever I travel.

in theory,no honey can be truly "organic",unless the bees are confined in an escape proof,certified organic controlled wharehouse. You can't control where the bees go,although they do have a certain range.
 
in theory,no honey can be truly "organic",unless the bees are confined in an escape proof,certified organic controlled wharehouse. You can't control where the bees go,although they do have a certain range.

There's a reason I put it in quotes. :001_rolle
 
I see the problem, but "In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration says that any product that's been ultra-filtered and no longer contains pollen isn't honey" is ridiculous. Just because you can't trace its origin that doesn't stop it being honey. What happens if they add in pollen from the U.S. - does it suddenly become honey again? Does it become safe because it contains U.S. pollen? Of course not. They may as well legislate that the sky is green in China. Declaring it as a law doesn't make it fact.

The whole point was that pollen is part of the honey, contributing to it's taste and nutritional value.
 
I see the problem, but "In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration says that any product that's been ultra-filtered and no longer contains pollen isn't honey" is ridiculous. Just because you can't trace its origin that doesn't stop it being honey. What happens if they add in pollen from the U.S. - does it suddenly become honey again? Does it become safe because it contains U.S. pollen? Of course not. They may as well legislate that the sky is green in China. Declaring it as a law doesn't make it fact.

If filtered honey without pollen isn't honey, then what about cow's milk that's been filtered and pasteurised? Can you not call it milk because it hasn't got bits of grass in it?

Sorry for the rant but this kind of bureaucratic nonsense winds me up. :mad2:


It's the FDA's job to define and regulate. Once you've processed and messed with a product enough, it's misleading to consumers to allow the producers to call it something it's not. Same reason you can't sell fruit-flavored sugar water and call it orange juice.
 
Always wondered about that. When I make a batch of mead, I'll spend the bucks to get my honey from Florida (Tupelo).
A lot of my friends just use what they get at Costco, and there's a HUGE difference in the taste (and alcohol content) of the finished product.
My last batch was around 17%!
 
Top Bottom