The Clostridium botulinum spores are common on all raw agricultural
products.  The problem is honey cannot be washed.  It is not recommended to
feed raw vegetables straight from the garden to any child under 1 year old.
Washing the vegetable removes most of the spores, but on items like carrots
or radishes, the skin is porus or "wrinkled" enough that you need to "peal"
the vegetable before feeding to children.
 
The only reason  honey is so stressed is because of the impossibility of
washing.  All raw agricultural materials have the spores and it is common
sense to wash before eating.
 
 
At 10:44 AM 7/10/97 -0400, you wrote:
>In a message dated 97-07-09 20:18:12 EDT, you write:
>
><<
> There has been much in the press lately about Clostridium botulinum
> spores remaining viable in honey and causing botulism in children of
> less than 1 year old. As this organism is fairly widespread in the
> soil and could be in much higher levels in wastewater this could
> prove a risk. >>
> I think you would be hard pressed to find any foodstuffs without the spores
>in them.
>I personally believe honey got the beating because it was an easy target.
>
>