Honey Laundering: Tainted product still slips easily into U.S.

[n2doc]

By ANDREW SCHNEIDER
P-I SENIOR CORRESPONDENT

Concealing discoveries of contaminated imported honey is immoral, unethical and often illegal -- and it happens far too often, U.S. honey producers say.

"It doesn't take a wizard to determine whether there are bad things in the honey we handle, nor a hero to do what it takes to keep it from our food supply," said Mark Brady, a Texas beekeeper who sits on the National Honey Board.

"If we buy Chinese honey, as we do far too often, we know it may contain chloramphenicol or some other antibiotic that is illegal in any food product," said Brady, who produces about a million pounds of honey a year. "To find it and not report it is criminal."

Two-thirds of the honey Americans consume is imported and almost half of that, regardless of what's on the label, comes from China, the Seattle P-I reported last month.

The newspaper's five-month investigation into honey laundering -- the intentional mislabeling of the country of origin -- found that tons of Chinese honey coming into the U.S. is tainted with banned antibiotics.
more:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/397445_honey26.html

[murielm99]

1. Local honey is always best.

I have heard that it can immunize you against flu or cold outbreaks in your area. Even if that is not proven, it tastes great and helps local producers.

I always get honey from farmers markets and town festivals where I live. We have quite a bit on hand right now.

[Le Taz Hot]

2. Actually, I've heard that it immunizes people

with allergies against local pollens making allergy outbreaks rarer and less severe. I'm not sure how accurate that is but we also have a local beekeeper who sells honey and beeswax products at one of our local Farmers Markets. His jars of local honey are only $5.00 -- a bargain in my book. :hi: