One Third Of Honey In The U.S. Is Potentially Tainted
Honeybees have had a rough past few years. Bees are dying due to colony collapse disorder, and now Food Safety News reports that one third or more of "all the honey consumed in the U.S. is likely to have been smuggled in from China and may be tainted with illegal antibiotics and heavy metals."
The article explains:
Experts interviewed by Food Safety News say some of the largest and most long-established U.S. honey packers are knowingly buying mislabeled, transshipped or possibly altered honey so they can sell it cheaper than those companies who demand safety, quality and rigorously inspected honey.
The U.S. consumes about 400 million pounds of honey a year -- about 1.3 pounds per person -- but it can supply less than half of the demand from domestic sources.
Tainted honey has been an issue for many years and Chinese importers have "found a way around stiff tariffs" to continue honey laundering.
It's a, dare we say, sticky situation, that makes the whole Food Safety News article worth a read.
So how do you know what honey you should be buying? This is one of those times that buying local, organic honey might be worth the extra pennies.
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First Posted: 08/18/11 07:21 PM ET Updated: 10/17/11 06:12 AM ET