billy.pilgrim wrote: ↑Mon Jan 13, 2020 5:51 pm
Since we have no approved definition of honey, anything goes. if you didn't see it come out of the hive, then chances are its syrup that came from china in 55 gallon drums with a tad of real honey added for flavor by some guy in America - all perfectly legal
Not entirely. There is a definition, that specifies "that bees make" is used by the FDA.
"Reference materials in the public domain define honey as “a thick, sweet, syrupy
substance that bees make as food from the nectar of plants or secretions of living parts of
plants and store in honeycombs.”2 FDA has concluded that this definition accurately
reflects the common usage of the term “honey."
For a food consisting of honey and a sweetener, the label must, among other information,
include both of the following:
a. A statement of identity, which must accurately identify or describe the basic
nature of the food or its characterizing properties or ingredients (see section 403(i)
of the FD&C Act, 21 CFR 101.3(b), and 21 CFR 102.5(a)): for example, “Blend
of honey and corn syrup,” if the food has more honey than corn syrup
(conversely, “Blend of corn syrup and honey,” if the food has more corn syrup
than honey).
Contains Nonbinding Recommendations
6
b. The common or usual name of each ingredient in the ingredient statement. In this
case, the ingredient statement would show “honey” and the common or usual
name of the sweetener (e.g., “sugar,” “corn syrup”), in descending order of
predominance by weight (see section 403(i) of the FD&C Act and 21 CFR
101.4(a)(1)).
Problem is, FDA is fairly toothless in enforcement, so yeah, I agree - buy honey from the farm.
.