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Honey Custom Food Labels Not Always Pure

Honey Custom Food Labels Not Always Pure

Many Jars with 'Honey' Custom Food Labels Do Not Contain Pure Honey

An exclusive study recently discovered that not all jars with custom food labels advertising the item as "honey" contain the real thing. Food Safety News studied 60 jars of honey from supermarkets across 10 different states and the District of Columbia, and it found that three-fourths of jars labeled as honey contained no pollen. When the pollen is filtered out of the honey, there is no way of knowing if the substance came from a safe, reliable source.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that honey without pollen can no longer be considered honey, and the food label should not lead customers to believe the product is pure. China came under fire in 2010 for illegally importing ultra-filtrered honey, including some tainted by antibiotics in 2010.

The FDA Does Not Check Food Product Labels on Domestic Honey  
The Chinese honey scandal compelled U.S. honey producers to lobby the FDA. However, the agency does not test domestic honey for pollen to make sure it lives up to its food product labels. Setting a national standard that ensures all products with honey labels are 100 percent pure would put a burden on the workforce of an already overtaxed agency, The Washington Post reported.

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