Posted on 08/15/2011 9:41:42 AM PDT by fso301
A 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. A Food Safety News investigation has documented that millions of pounds of honey banned as unsafe in dozens of countries are being imported and sold here in record quantities.
And the flow of Chinese honey continues despite assurances from the Food and Drug Administration and other federal officials that the hundreds of millions of pounds reaching store shelves were authentic and safe following the widespread arrests and convictions of major smugglers over the last two years.
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.
(Excerpt) Read more at foodsafetynews.com ...
For that reason, I buy from a local farm where they collect the honey year round. Before canning the honey, they blend it so that every jar contains the pollen from every season.
Fortunately honey is one thing people like to pay more for and buy local. Might be in a drive out to the country, a flea market, from a local beekeeper, what have you. I used to have hives but am afraid to have them here due to lawn mowing equipment setting them off. How do your bees react to gasoline powered engines?
It’s local honey , and it does help allergies .
At first glance, I thought this was about a porn star.
LOL.
My hunch is that's where the mystery honey predominantly used
That seems to have been the case with a few other's as well. LOL!
“Thank goodness I have my own hives.”
I feel for you. Despite my age, all I have is a few liver spots.
Anyway, knowing Europe as I do, I can bet that this is another excuse for protectionism on their part. We inspect honey too, so don’t let the foodie cultists tell you that we’re being “poisoned by everything we eat.”
I just buy local honey from the little guys too. Lucky for me I live in Florida where you can get Tupilo Honey. It is like 10 times better than clover honey.
Now on the real issue of crap imported from China. I sell flooring in an area of Florida where we still have some wealthy. retirees. Most of them vote Republican. All the Bushes have visited this community several times as well as Sarah Palin and several other major Republicans, so these aren’t Liberal Democrats. The big thing that I’m selling right now is Laminate. The American made Laminate costs just a few pennies more and is better quality. I point this out to them and I’m always shocked at how few of them care.
I remember you giving me some advice when I was thinking about keeping bees. It has been some kind of experience!
GIGGITY!
Adulterated Chinese foodstuffs??
Get out!
Asian Honey.....got pix?
Although I would prolly hit it just on pure speculation.
Asian Honey.....got pix?
Although I would prolly hit it just on pure speculation.
So the rich guys don’t care about American made laminate floors. They’ll buy the lower quality Chinese to save a few pennies. No loyalty to the American worker or manufacturer? That must be why they like the cheap illegal alien labor from the open borders they demand from politicians.
We hunt, fish, and grow almost everything we eat and know for sure that we’re not being poisoned. Started keeping bees for pollination of the garden, as well as a source of sweetener in case the SHTF. While I am able to grow sugar cane in our climate, it is so much easier if the bees do the work. I’ve got enough to do already!
[cue Papillon Soo Soo from “Full Metal Jacket”]
“Me so horny! Me love you long time!”
LOL. Yes, I got a little too close to one hive last week and got tagged on the side of my head, but just twice. No big deal. I was being mindful of how close I was to the hive and had the exhaust side of the mower away from the hive but then the mower was a 36” hydraulic walk-behind so it is a noisy machine and I’m sure the vibrations upset the girls. I have learned the girls get a bit finicky after rain storms (would love to have one here).
Actually, this was a hived that had swarmed about 2 months ago so it was a queen the girls raised themselves through supercedure. They tend to be a bit nastier in their behavior. If I were to re-queen this hive with a new Italian queen, the bees, generally speaking, would be more well behaved.
If you were to install hives again, how close to the hive(s)would you have to mow? Would they be Italian bees? Using a weedeater could alleviate your problem and permit you to have hives again? Just keep the exhaust pointed away from the hive and maybe even use a veil while you mow up close. I hope you can get bees again.
Great. Glad you became a beekeeper. Lots of fun and it certainly can teach us many things. If you had to start over, would you do it again? Hope so.
Yes, I’ve used the sun to re-liquify honey that has crystallized. Takes a little longer but it works.
I think only commercial producers heat the honey and that is to get it to flow faster and to speed up the bottling process. No need for us little folk to do that. I wouldn’t do it anyway.
Thanks for your posts.
I particularly liked how after many paragraphs of frightening charges and accusations - at the end they offer a solution - use “True Source” honey!!
This thing reads like a paid advertisement. A simple google of these “True Source” people indicates they are some kind of industry cartel - and ironically - one that imports honey as well.
Conflict of interest anyone?
All they want is Gov’t controlled higher prices for users.
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