General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCriminal honey laundering: Chinese honey sold in North America is more likely to be stamped as
Indonesian, Malaysian or Taiwanese, due to a growing multimillion dollar (global) laundering system designed to keep the endless supply of cheap and often contaminated Chinese honey moving into the U.S., where tariffs have been implemented to staunch the flow and protect its own struggling industry.
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It is widely known those countries have no productive capacity to justify those quantities, said Mr. Phipps, the honey markets expert.
He said a recent EU decision to ban honey from India over worries of lead and other contaminates much of it widely suspected to be of Chinese origin has only increased odds that more Chinese honey is bound for U.S. borders.
snip
Most honey comes from China, where beekeepers are notorious for keeping their bees healthy with antibiotics banned in North America because they seep into honey and contaminate it; packers there learn to mask the acrid notes of poor quality product by mixing in sugar or corn-based syrups to fake good taste.
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In the U.S., a hefty tariff more than two dollars for every kilogram of Chinese-origin honey was levied. But the tax only temporarily dammed the flow. Official Chinese honey exports to the U.S. fell, but the countrys honey production capacity increased, according to statistics collected by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
snip
A bonus to those in the laundering scheme, U.S. food inspectors had a more lax approach to inspecting shipments that did not appear to have a Chinese connection. Tests conducted by food inspectors are based on country-of-origin information; if Chinese roots arent declared on shipments, inspectors will not test for the chemicals associated with honey production in China, meaning contaminated loads are less likely to be detected or seized and can still be sold for consumption. The same is true of honey diluted with cheaper sweeteners, which is often passed off to consumers as the real thing.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/science/honey-laundering-the-sour-side-of-natures-golden-sweetener/article1859410/singlepage/#articlecontent
pansypoo53219
(20,976 posts)tho this spring the pollen explosion was a tad big. i upped my honey.
get the red out
(13,466 posts)This is another message that should reinforce BUY LOCAL, whenever possible.
hlthe2b
(102,260 posts)for a multitude of reasons including the fact that locally produced honey will contain small doses of the same allergans that grow in the area that can have some "desensitization" effect over time for those who suffer hay fever. But why on earth would someone not want to support local honey producers?
customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)to go beyond the mega-grocery store shelf for anything. Yes, I know that not everybody has transportation that can take them out into the country, but they don't bother to go to the farmers' markets that are set up in most major cities. That's not a bad place to get honey.
hlthe2b
(102,260 posts)My Safeway (and Kings Soopers) both sell at least two local brands. The Whole Foods near me sells several. Hell, the Sam's Club near me does. (yes, I hate Walmart & Sam's Club and do not regularly frequent, but nonetheless).
But, yes, Farmer's markets are likewise a good place to go.
customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)Whenever we go touring, I like to practice culinary tourism, which means buying things that help the economy I'm visiting. Even at the pricier upscale markets, you can get great local foods at prices way below the tourist-trap boutique shops.
However, those local products are side-by-side with cheaper nationally-made alternatives, and the farmers' markets don't feature that distraction.
Earth_First
(14,910 posts)Honey comes from the older couple who keep bees about a mile and a quarter up the road.
Far cheaper for the real stuff too...
Baitball Blogger
(46,705 posts)Just as a curiosity. I never intended to use it. But now the honey is so dark you can't see the honeycomb inside.
Does honey go bad?
bvar22
(39,909 posts)Late season honey can be dark too.
It all depends on what the Bees are collecting.
Clover Honey is very light,
and tastes light too.
The Darker honey usually tastes darker.
Most people prefer the lighter honey.
Yes. Honey CAN go bad if the water content is too high.
It will ferment, but not in a good way.
You will be able to tell by the sniff test.
Honey can also be adulterated with Corn Syrup, light or dark,
and THAT is not so easy to detect, even by experienced BeeKeepers
because all honey tastes a little different.
Good honey has a very long shelf life.
If it crystallizes, just put it in a pan of warm water.
Baitball Blogger
(46,705 posts)julianmac
(1 post)Honey becomes dark naturally. It depends on the nectar the honey bees collect. In your case if honey is crystallized then put it in boiled water and it will automatically turn into its liquid form. Never put honey directly in microwave otherwise it will be spoil.
Bogdan Boranda
(1 post)If the honey which you had purchased is a pure one, then no problem if preserved properly, you may use this with out any doubts. Otherwise, don't take risk.
[url=http://b-honey.be/en/]honey[/url]
[url=http://b-honey.be/en/]propolis[/url]
bvar22
(39,909 posts)Keep your own Bees!
Even local roadside honey can be mostly HFCS reprocessed through a Bee.
Many vendors feed their bees HFCS even during the supposed Honey Flow.
Its cheap and easy, and doesn't depend on Nature to provide natural forage.
Last year was terrible here in Central Arkansas.
By late May, the heat & drought had killed the clover and most of the natural wild flowers.
We had to feed our bees (cane sugar solution) to keep them alive.
Naturally, we didn't take off any of this Cane Sugar Honey.
And, yet, just down the highway a stand that sells "Natural, Organic Honey" had a great year.
Go Figure!
This year looks GREAT so far.
The Honey Supers are heavy,
and we are looking forward to harvesting some honey next week!
Decentralized, small scale BeeKeeping is the answer.
Fun too!