I saw this write up and thought to myself, “Is there such a thing as fake honey?” Well in this article there was. However, I feel that “fake” is the wrong wording. Rather, these Impostors are actually real honey that’s been stripped of all of it’s good qualities. Then it’s placed on the shelf in it’s over processed state for people to consume. The truth about our well known honey brands is both sad and alarming. Millions of Americans reach for this sweet, gooey additive as a “healthy” alternative to sugar. Many health nuts are also using it for it numerous health benefits ….
There are approximately 16 minerals, 18 amino acids, 21 vitamins, and a ton of phytonutrients and antioxidants in one ounce of raw honey. Raw honey has many antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial substances, and it is highly nutritious.It contains significant amounts of vitamin C, B6,B5,B3,B2, potassium, sulfur, magnesium, phosphate, calcium and sodium chlorine.
This is why people are eating honey! However, recent information in Food Safety News finds that 75% of the honey being sold on the shelves is void of all these wonderful “super food” properties. Here’s a short break down ..
The FSN sent samples of honey to Texas A&M University’s premier melissopalynologist (pollen scientist), professor Vaughn Bryant. He found that about 75% of the honey had little or no pollen in it at all. Additionally:
- 100% of honey used in McDonald’s and KFC had all pollen removed.
- 100% of Winnie the Pooh honey sold in Walmart had all of its pollen removed.
- 100% of honey sold in drug stores like CVS and Walgreen’s had the pollen filtered out.
- 77% of big box stores like Sam’s Club, Costco and Target had no traces of pollen either.
They just tarnished my childhood memories by including the “Winnie the Pooh” honey to this broad list (tear drop).
Where is this impostor honey coming from?
– The U.S. imported 208 million pounds of honey over the past 18 months.
– About 48 million pounds came from trusted and usually reliable suppliers in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Uruguay and Mexico.
– Almost 60 percent of what was imported – 123 million pounds – came from Asian countries – traditional laundering points for Chinese honey. This included 45 million pounds from India alone.
“This should be a red flag to FDA and the federal investigators. India doesn’t have anywhere near the capacity – enough bees – to produce 45 million pounds of honey. It has to come from China,” said Adee, who also is a past president of the American Honey Producers Association (source).
So how do you get the RIGHT kind of honey for the REAL benefits? Make sure you are using honey that claims to be “raw.” You can also get honey from farmers markets and other direct sources that aren’t overly processed and refined.
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