Your Fancy Honey Might Not Actually Be Honey

[Newest Reality]

It may have been sweetened, heated, filtered, and turned into a fraud—and the entire agricultural system is at risk as a result.

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Chris Hiatt knows he's had a good summer for honey when he can barely close his hands by the end of the season. At Hiatt Honey, his family's business, he regularly moves around hive boxes that weigh up to 70 pounds. "It is hard work, man," Hiatt, also the vice president of the American Honey Producers Association, said. "I drink two gallons of water every day because it's so physical. I love to do it. But it's not as fun as it used to be."

For the past two years, his hands have barely been sore at all. Bee populations across the country are declining for many reasons, like exposure to insecticide and fungicide, disease, and mites, ultimately causing colonies to collapse. From April 2018 to April 2019, beekeepers in the United States lost over 40 percent of their hives.

But there's another threat within the honey community that's intimately entwined with the lives of bees and their beekeepers, one that is largely unknown outside their world: honey fraud.

Grab any random bottle of honey from your kitchen, coffee shop, or restaurant: According to a number of honey experts who spoke with VICE, the odds are high that your honey isn't what it claims to be. Honey imported from overseas is often adulterated—either by having sugars added to it or by being cleaned, heated, or filtered—and then is blended with small amounts of true honey until the sticky substance is uniform.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/884kq4/your-fancy-honey-might-not-actually-be-honey

[Xipe Totec]

1. Tupelo Honey

[csziggy]

12. Best honey in the world!

It's just about all I buy and what I buy if from local sources, either directly from the honey producers selling it out of the backs of their trucks on the side of the roads or from a local coop that buys it locally.

The honey I've bought from other places, such as Costco don't taste very much like honey and they crystallize, which my tupelo honey have never done.

[hlthe2b]

16. Tupelo honey naturally has a different sugar ratio so that it does not crystalize readly

I really can't find it anywhere and buy local honey, which definitely DOES. There are some local beekeepers I am going to look into and try to buy direct.

I find the quality of honey pretty abysmal nowadays and the article obviously explains why. WE need to look out for the bees!

[csziggy]

24. Yes, tupelo honey is not as sweet as many types

Where I grew up the local honey was orange blossom, which was way too sweet for my tastes and I didn't eat honey since I thought it was all like that. Up here in North Florida, tupelo is hard to get some years, but it is worth it.

I've used it in my bread and it makes it taste different than if I substitute others. It's even better on top of the bread!

[hlthe2b]

15. Expensive though.

[GulfCoast66]

26. Great honey but pricy.

I by a quart when in the eastern panhandle which I am multiple times a year. I reserve it for when I make homemade biscuit.

My go to which I use daily in my morning smoothie is either gallberry or palmetto, both which are locally produced by small bee keepers. And are great honeys. Orange Blossom is like consuming corn syrup it is so sweet.

Florida is the only state with a honey purity law. Or was. Perhaps others states have joined since I was working with beekeepers 3-4 years ago.

[Turin_C3PO]

2. I try and buy local honey

when it’s available.

[MH1]

25. Me too. I haven't had any problem finding it.

To be fair, I don't use it that often so a jar lasts me a long time.

Since I found a store that has local honey, I never buy any "honey" that is imported.

[cwydro]

3. I buy local. Good NC honey.

Happy NC bees.

[NurseJackie]

4. I buy Sue-Bee honey (in the little bear bottle) and it often crystallizes on the shelf...

... is that bad honey? fake honey? am I doing something wrong?

[louis-t]

5. I think when it crystalizes, that means it's real.

I could be wrong. Just had that happen with a Kroger bear bottler.

[NurseJackie]

6. Thanks... I just found this (I should have checked earlier)

https://blog.beeraw.com/real-raw-honey-crystal

Now we know!

[MagickMuffin]

18. Please do not put the bear in the microwave as suggested

The heat from the honey will heat up the plastic and yuck it will start to melt even at small amounts of time. Speaking from experience here.

I get raw unfiltered honey at Winco which is in a plastic tub, however, when I get home it goes into a recycled glass jar that I boil in hot water prier to adding the new honey. The reason for doing this is to eliminate any of the honey crystals, if you don't the new batch of honey will begin to crystalize as well and at a faster rate.

[NurseJackie]

20. heh-heh... too late! I tried that a couple of years ago and my poor bear took a bow.

heh-heh... too late! I tried that a couple of years ago and my poor bear took a bow.

Also, the new Sue-Bee label is printed on foil, so it caused some sparks too.

Never again will I make that mistake! (Thanks for thinking of me and for passing along the warning... others will see it too!)

[MagickMuffin]

22. Years ago a friend bought me some cotton honey the BEST honey I've ever had

He got it from a health food store. It was silky white and had such a natural organic taste. Haven't had any since or even know where I could find it.

Glad I could help out.

[marlakay]

19. Costco organic raw honey

Crystalizes, thats what we buy.

[GoCubsGo]

9. Honey does that.

You aren't doing anything wrong. Just warm it up a little, and a the crystals will dissolve. Tray a few seconds in the microwave. Give it a shake every 5 seconds or so, until the crystals are gone. Or, set it in a hot water bath.

As for being "fake", you have real honey, but it might not be pure honey. It might be adulterated with corn syrup or some other non-honey sugars.

The OP is actually old news. Here's a more detailed article from 2018, which mentions Sue-Bee, btw: https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/11/tests-show-most-store-honey-isnt-honey/

[hlthe2b]

17. Not necessarily. Even a lot of local raw honeys do so.

[defacto7]

7. The same with olive oil. Most of it is not.

But the honey situation is more concerning and far reaching I'd think.

[shanti]

11. The two are farmed in the same area

I live in the central valley of CA, with all of the orchards, farms, and vineyards. Bees are integral for this economy, and local honey and olive oil are abundant at the farmer's markets.

[harumph]

8. I buy honey from one of two sources

A family friend who lives about a mile away has a few hobby hives. It's merely supplemental income of the family -
but the honey is real - and the flavor is different every year. The other is Round Rock Honey - 1308 Chisholm Trail 107 Round Rock, TX 78681

You're not going to get the best honey without paying $$.

Scroll to bottom of page.

https://roundrockhoney.com/about-us/our-honey

If you have space and your area allows it - you too can raise bees. It's work - but it's not rocket science.

[eleny]

10. We get ours from a neighbor with hives

We also grow flowers from spring through autumn. Hopeful, we help those same bees.

[NurseJackie]

13. Wow! lucky you!!!

Last time I had honey THAT fresh was at a local (on-again/off-again) farmer's market. It was wonderful!!

[handmade34]

28. warm right out of the hive

is heaven... I have a couple of hives and there is nothing like opening the hive and taking a small chunk of comb filled with warm honey and eating it

I don't keep my bees so much for honey as just to enjoy having them around, but I do put a few frames in the hive for cut comb

[NurseJackie]

30. Honestly, I'd thought that would be a fun hobby... but didn't know how costly it would be.

Also didn't know what kind of liability it might be either... or if I'd be inviting theft... or if it's even something that would work in this party of Maryland (DC metro area).

I'm jealous of you!

[handmade34]

34. it is expensive to get started

$200. to $400. for initial setup (hive, veil, gloves, etc.) and $135. for a 2 pound package of bees... 3 years ago I lost a couple of hives to bears and last year a serious wind caught the roof of the hive stand and blew them over... I will be getting 2 new packages next month but have plenty of hive bodies and such...

beehives can be placed almost anywhere... if the hive is shielded from neighbors view, most likely no one will know they are there... bees will travel up to 2 miles to find nectar and without knowing they are there neighbors will be grateful for the pollination

the only time they seem to be a nuisance is warm winter days and early spring when they come out to defecate (they won't mess their hive) and leave small yellow stains everywhere

[llmart]

14. I watched a documentary on Netflix about just this subject.

I was truly surprised by how much of what we think is honey is actually not pure honey.

After watching it, I decided to be more careful and selective about where I buy my honey. Yes, it's more expensive, but as they say - you get what you pay for.

[NurseJackie]

21. The honey packets from KFC? Just honey-flavored Karo corn syrup.

Ugh.

[llmart]

23. I don't believe I've ever eaten at a KFC in my life.

Same reason I don't eat most of the samples they hand out in grocery stores. It's usually stuff I don't eat. Actually, it's usually not even "food".

I was fortunate to grow up in a family where my parents knew a lot about nutrition and we didn't eat manufactured food. That was back in the 1950's.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

27. Local basswood honey is wonderful.

[iloveObama12]

29. Come On!

Damn and i've been eating that posted pic organic honey...damn!

[GulfCoast66]

31. I have a horror story about adulterated honey. Or poisoned rather.

I can give no location details due to my situation. But became aware of bad honey trying to be imported from Asia. The beekeepers keep it in 55 gallon drums while harvesting which on it on its own presents no problems. Unfortunately, barrels are scarce and are repaired when punctured or need repair. With lead containing solder! The honey draws out the lead resulting in honey with enough lead to be toxic if consumed daily. Fortunately that batch of hundreds of gallons was tested and confiscated at the port.

Since then I never eat food from Asia and only buy honey from local producers. Fortunately Florida is a honey Mecca with a year long season.

Edit for spelling.

[no_hypocrisy]

32. Mine is. I get it from my brother who raises bees.

[MrsMatt]

33. Obtain locally through friends/co-workers

I like to source my food.

[DFW]

35. It's a big deal here in Europe.

We get ours from about 3 sources. There are couple of farms on Crete that bring their products up north to sell at markets. It is very aromatic, extremely thick, and dark in color. Then there is the local beekeeper who brings his own product to the local farmers market once every two weeks. Lastly, there is a honey shop that sells honey and honey products is a tiny shop near the the stock exchange in Brussels, and they have (if it is in stock!) a thick, opaque sunflower honey that comes from Eastern Europe. It is great in tea, though you have to be patient, as it doesn't dissolve as quickly as the clear liquid honey does.

[Baked Potato]

36. My pet squirrel loves fancy honey!

[TexasBushwhacker]

37. Yeah, I noticed the honey packets at Popeyes

are labeled "Honey Sauce". They're actually honey with high fructose corn syrup.