Recent reports of "fake" honey being sold in supermarkets has the Internet in an uproar. It begs the question of how we can really tell if we are buying raw or processed honey. Let's take a look at a few indicators.
Checking for purity:Start by checking out the label. According to an article from
Honey Fanatic, there are no laws that require a certain amount of honey on jars labeled "pure honey." The issue here is that you can't be certain of just how much actual honey you are buying. According to
NBC News, an FDA test of imported "honey" resulted in products being detained for having other sweeteners added. However, if the label indicates a local producer, chances are the honey is as pure as it can be.
If you are uncertain of the quality of your favorite store-bought honey, this video demonstrates 3 simple ways to test your honey for purity.
"Ultrapurified" honey:An article published on Food Safety News claimed that pollen was being taken out of honey through a process called "ultrapurification." This filtration process includes dilution of honey with water before it is filtered and the water extracted. The article continued to assert that this method was an attempt at hiding honey from China. The presence of pollen, the article claimed, is the only way to ensure the purity of honey.
According to
NPR, honey on store shelves IS filtered, but using a simple filtration process used to remove everything that may be less-than-appealing such as bee wings, dust, and yes, pollen. In short, this filtration is not a sign of "fake" honey. NPR goes further to say that this process is largely done in the US because it keeps the honey from crystallizing. According to Jill Clark, Vice President of Sales and Marketing with Dutch Gold indicates"Consumers don't tend to like crystallized honey. It's very funny. In Canada, there's a lot of creamed honey sold, and people are very accustomed to honey crystallizing. Same in Europe. But the U.S. consumer is very used to a liquid product, and as soon as they see those first granules of crystallization, we get the phone calls: 'Something's wrong with my honey!'"
Raw Honey:Raw honey is honey that has not undergone the filtration process, leaving in all the local pollen, dust and whatever else naturally made its way into the honey. There are a number of health benefits that come from consuming raw honey such as being an effective burn treatment, natural anti-inflammatory, and can even provide allergy relief. However,
SF Gate urges consumers to be weary of potential dangers such as food poisoning. It is also not recommended to give raw honey to infants as it could lead to a life-threatening condition, infant botulism.
Ready to purchase your own raw honey? The
National Honey Board indicates that there are over 300 variegates of honey made worldwide You can use their
Honey Locator website to help locate a provider near you.
Help your friends learn if their honey is real. Share with them today.
