Re: Tests Show Most Store Honey Isn't Honey

On Sun, Nov 13, 2011 at 3:12 PM, Phil <philgoetz@gmail.com> wrote:
On Nov 11, 4:54 pm, Nathan McCorkle <nmz...@gmail.com> wrote:
> http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/11/tests-show-most-store-honey-isn...
>
> This might be a very DIYable test to perform, you could even take a
> 'scope with you to farmers markets and do spot checks!

What do you want to check? For the presence of pollen, or for the
genuineness of the honey?  The article doesn't say this stuff is not
honey; it says the pollen has been removed.  This could be the result
of filtering out other things people don't like in their honey, like
bee particles.

The problem is not that pollen is removed. The real issue is that removing the pollen removes the only source to determine the origin of the honey itself. Why do we need to know the source? Well, there have been cases were the Chinese produce honey that is unsafe because it is tainted with chemicals and other unnatural impurities[1]. A common factor of pollen-less honey is that it comes from countries with poor regulation and a way to circumvent any trace of origin is to remove the pollen. Suppose Canada produces perfectly safe honey. Then all an illegal honey producer has to do is to remove the pollen and ship through Canada to USA.

Pollen-less honey in some cases can mean the stuff isn't all that kosher. Its just one step in the testing process.

Reference:
[1] "FDA Seizes Tainted Chinese Honey After Sen. Schumer Raises Fuss"
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2010/06/11/127764536/honey-tainted-with-antibiotic-seized-in-philadelphia

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