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PETRUS

(3,678 posts)
Fri Mar 22, 2013, 10:54 AM Mar 2013

'Honey Laundering' Is An International Problem

Food-safety experts have found that much of the honey sold in the United States isn't actually honey, but a concoction of corn or rice syrup, malt sweeteners or "jiggery" (cheap, unrefined sugar), plus a small amount of genuine honey, according to Wired UK.

Worse, some honey — much of which is imported from Asia — has been found to contain toxins like lead and other heavy metals, as well as drugs like chloramphenicol, an antibiotic, according to a Department of Justice news release.

<snip>

A possible solution to the honey-provenance quandary has come from an unlikely source: astronomy. A laser isotope ratio-meter was developed to search for methane gas on Mars, according to Wired UK. But that same technology can be used to analyze the smoke given off by heated honey, olive oil or other food to find its unique carbon "fingerprint" and determine its origin.

A sample of honey, for example, can be matched to the flowers of a specific geographic region through the laser analysis...

(Read more: http://www.livescience.com/28039-honey-laundering.html#ixzz2OHSE63De)

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bvar22

(39,909 posts)
4. You might be unpleasantly surprised at what you find at your local Farmers Market,
Fri Mar 22, 2013, 01:42 PM
Mar 2013

....or at the roadside stand.
There is even less oversight than at the supermarkets.
Unfortunately, there ARE unscrupulous vendors at Framers Markets,
and times are hard and getting harder.

Many BeeKeepers also feed their Bees Corn Syrup
even during the "Honey Flow" to increase the end product.
This is especially true in High Density yards where there more than a few hives.
Some "Organic" BeeKeepers we KNOW see no problem with this practice.
As far as my wife & I are concerned, that end product is NOT "Pure Organic Honey".

---bvar22 & Starkraven
small scale, low density, natural BeeKeepers.

Starry Messenger

(32,342 posts)
5. Good tip bvar.
Fri Mar 22, 2013, 01:46 PM
Mar 2013

Honey is one of the few things I'm picky about, I didn't know about the corn syrup trick.

(When I was little I used to help out a local beekeeper who treated me like his adopted grand-daughter. Great memories.)

 

Paul E Ester

(952 posts)
6. No honey can be organic
Fri Mar 22, 2013, 01:48 PM
Mar 2013

Because you cannot control where the bees roam. They could be getting nectar from a tree just sprayed with a pesticide on someone else's land.

Disconcerting to hear how crappy (quality) a product it is.

snagglepuss

(12,704 posts)
8. Wow. That is shocking. I just assume the little guy is ethical but as your post
Fri Mar 22, 2013, 02:25 PM
Mar 2013

clearly indicates that is just a romantic notion. Any clues about appraising local sellers?

Javaman

(62,443 posts)
2. Always always buy your local honey.
Fri Mar 22, 2013, 11:55 AM
Mar 2013

not just for the obvious reasons stated above, but local honey also will help with your allergies.

And help the local beekeepers.

 

talkingmime

(2,173 posts)
3. We're lucky to have a lot of local bee keepers. We get some really good honey.
Fri Mar 22, 2013, 12:48 PM
Mar 2013

It costs a little more, but damn is it good. My favorite is the buckwheat.

 

olddots

(10,237 posts)
7. Just eat your krill and stop complaining !
Fri Mar 22, 2013, 01:49 PM
Mar 2013

The world is becoming a William Gibson novel and we better start paying attention .

backscatter712

(26,355 posts)
9. I'd have to look things up, but olive oil has been having the same problem.
Fri Mar 22, 2013, 02:30 PM
Mar 2013

There's a lot of "olive oil" that isn't - at best, isn't fresh and virgin, more likely, isn't made from olives, and often isn't made of things that you should eat at all.

Here's one link...

http://www.foodrenegade.com/your-extravirgin-olive-oil-fake/

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