Beware Honey Scam

A shocking new study by Food Safety News (FSN) found that 75 percent of honey sold in major grocery stores doesn’t contain any honey at all. Scientist and director of Palynology Research Laboratory at Texas A&M University, Vaughn Bryant, one of the leaders in identifying pollen types in honey, examined more than 60 “honey” products purchased from ten states and the District of Columbia. He could not find even a trace of pollen in most of the so-called honey he examined. Identifying pollen traces helps to ensure the integrity of honey.

Worse than that, 100 percent of the honey examined from Walgreens, CVS, McDonald’s and KFC was not actually honey, according to FSN.

(In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration says that any product that’s been ultra-filtered and no longer contains pollen isn’t honey.)

The FSN claims that the honey imposters were likely secretly imported from China and may be contaminated with antibiotic drugs and other foreign materials. It also indicates that these products were likely heated to extremely high temperatures, forced through tiny filters, and possibly adulterated in some way.

The study also found that the honey taken from farmers’ markets, whole foods stores, and food cooperatives was real and contained pollens and nutrients. If you purchase honey, supporting local beekeepers and whole food stores is best.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Laurita W.

8:20PM PST on Feb 3, 2012

Lois E, the article states that "The study also found that the honey taken from farmers’ markets, whole foods stores, and food cooperatives was real and contained pollens and nutrients. If you purchase honey, supporting local beekeepers and whole food stores is best."

send a green star

8:17PM PST on Feb 3, 2012

Cheaters are found in every industry at every level. I have bought local honey from a neighbor for over 20 years, and I am always pleased.

Gerardo B.

9:07PM PST on Jan 23, 2012

Bruce M, Appreciate your comment, especially,'I get my honey fron my hives behind my house'. I use quite a bit of Raw honey, finally, found a Bee keeper, I buy all my honey from. Good deal, cosr only $40 per gal. Next step? start my own honey hives, please give me info. on how to do it. Thank you.

Chinmayee J.

8:45PM PST on Jan 21, 2012

That is so disgusting - what is wrong with people? This is why I try to stick to whole food and organic stores, more and more supermarket foods are being found to be contaminated or adulterated in some way - or in this case, fraudulent!

Lois E.

11:53AM PST on Dec 28, 2011

Where are we supposed to buy our honey now? Health food stores, or are they fake too I wonder!

Chris E.

12:42AM PST on Dec 10, 2011

A comment for Linda H.

Not sure whether honey contains botulism or not but I do know that babies get protection from diseases through the early, collostrum rich breast milk, collostrum containing all the antibodies for all local diseases and which is created my the mother's own immune system. Nature is amazing, if left alone (i.e. not tampered with)! If mums ate honey while pregnant, the antibodies for botulism, if it was present, would be in the collostrum.

Sarah M.

8:42PM PST on Dec 7, 2011

not surprising

2:23PM PST on Dec 7, 2011

You all may think I'm a Bee lover becuase it hurts me when someone kills a Bee. This is a heven sent honey maker, crop maker, get it?!

Lika S.

12:24AM PST on Dec 7, 2011

I just read in another fairly recent Care2 article, that some honey companies take out the pollen from the honey. Of course to me, it defeats the purpose of consuming honey, other than for good flavor, because eating local honey can help reduce your allergies because of the pollen.

Thing is, when it states distributed by This Co. from Here, I expect that the honey is fairly local to Here, and not from There.

Anyway, just to ensure that you're getting authentic honey from local areas, I suggest that the next time you visit the farmers market you either buy from there or inquire if they know of a reliable person to buy from. The more personally involved the honey producer is, the less likely it's a sham to make big money. Plus you're helping local economy.

Sri V.

4:22PM PST on Dec 3, 2011

Bruce B and Harry B are right.I live in India most of the year and there are very many (in fact the majority) reliable sources of honey. There is a vast amount of exaggeration here. Incidentally your average milk in most countries contains antibiotics too and in larger quantities. In the case of honey it is minute traces. And I am a very careful consumer of age 72 from a family genetically prone to heart disease, stroke, diabetes etc.! I do much research when I buy my food and drinks