5 Things You Should Know Before You Buy Honey

5 Things You Should Know Before You Buy Honey

Here’s a fun fact for you: more than three quarters of honey sold in American supermarkets isn’t the real deal. Much of it has been modified into a nearly unrecognizable product. This is what you should know next time you buy honey.

1. Raw honey contains bee pollen.

So what’s the big deal? Well, bee pollen has long been thought to be among nature’s most nourishing foods. It’s loaded with protein, and is thought to be able to influence weight loss and improve reaction to allergies.

2. Ultra-filtered or pasteurized honey is not a better product.

In recent decades, honey manufacturers have sold consumers the idea that ultra-filtered and pasteurized honey is better than unfiltered, raw honey. In a way, it’d make sense that honey without the combs and pollen would taste better, but filtering it removes all of the delicious, healthy bee pollen.

Not just that, the process of ultra-filtering honey removes the capability of consumers to track where the honey was produced and what pollen was gathered to make it. So you could be eating honey from a clover field right next to a coal plant in China. No bueno, friends.

3. Many companies are now adding High Fructose Corn Syrup to honey.

According to the folks over at Organics, “HFCS has been linked to diabetes, obesity, hypertension and liver damage, and leads to plaque buildup and narrowing of blood vessels.” Not only that, but HFCS is often made from GMO corn. So if you want to avoid GMOs, avoid honey with this sweetener added.

4. Finding organic honey is a task.

There are simply too many non-organic farmers out there for honey to be guaranteed as all organic. Bees often fly miles from their hives to gather pollen, so it’s one variable that is impossible to control. Additionally, the USDA has no standards for organic honey. If you see honey labeled organic, it may be a bit misleading.

5. Most supermarket honey is imported from China.

Going back to my mention of ultra-filtration filtering out our ability to track where honey came from, we have very little reason to trust the quality and safety of food coming out of China. In 2003, Smuckers recalled 12,000 cases of honey and Sara Lee recalled products that contained honey from China because it was contaminated with Chloramphenicol. Chloramphenicol has been linked to leukemia.

This is one food where vegans may have the right idea, but if you must consume honey, find it from local sources and ask where exactly it came from