The National Honey Board responded to the FSN article recently. Bruce Boynton and I were discussing this on Friday. Food Safety News was sent the response below to counter the information in the article.
From The National Honey Board
The November, 2011, FSN story on honey may have led readers to believe that any honey without pollen is not real honey. This is not true.
According to the United States Standards, honey can be filtered to remove fine particles, pollen grains, air bubbles and other materials found suspended in the honey(1).
In fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture gives higher grades for honey that has good clarity. Importantly, honey that has been filtered to meet USDA's grading standards may not have pollen, but it is still honey.
Honey is filtered by U.S. packers for various reasons:
1. Many consumers prefer honey that is liquid and stays liquid for a long time.
o All honey crystallizes eventually. Suspended particles and fine air bubbles in honey contribute to faster crystallization. Filtering helps delay crystallization, helping the honey to remain liquid for a much longer period than unfiltered honey.
2. Many consumers prefer honey to be clear and brilliantly transparent.
o The presence of fine, suspended material (pollen grains, wax, etc.) and air bubbles results in a cloudy appearance that can detract from the appearance. Filtering is done to give a clear brilliant product desired by consumers. For the filtered style of honey, USDA Grading Standards for Extracted Honey give higher grades for honey that has good clarity.
o Honey is filtered to remove extraneous solids that remain after the initial raw processing by the beekeeper.
In contrast to the filtration methods used to meet USDA grading standards, ultrafiltration is a more complex process that results in a sweetener product. The FDA says this product should not be labeled honey. The (Food Safety News) article confuses filtration and ultrafiltration, applying FDA's position on ultrafiltered honey to any honey without pollen. The fact is filtered honey may not have pollen, but it is still honey by national standards and is preferred by many consumers.
We are all concerned about illegal activities that negatively impact the honey industry, damage the image of honey, or cheat consumers. We support the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in its regulation of honey and oppose any practice that would jeopardize the quality, purity and image of honey.
However, the misunderstanding about ultrafiltration has misinformed consumers. Here's what consumers need to know:
- Filtered honey is honey by national standards. Filtration removes floating particles, and sometimes pollen, and makes the honey liquid longer and improves clarity.
- Ultrafiltration produces a sweetener that should not be called honey.
- Honeybees make honey from nectar, not pollen.
1 For decades, many U.S. honey packers have been filtering raw honey prior to bottling in accordance with USDA's United States Standards for Grades of Extracted Honey (May 23, 1985). According to section 52-1393 of the Standards, Filtered honey is honey of any type defined in these standards that has been filtered to the extent that all or most of the fine particles, pollen grains, air bubbles, or other materials normally found in suspension, have been removed. Section 52.1394 of the Standards also says that Pollen grains in suspension contribute to the lack of clarity in filtered style.
Kim Flottum
Editor, Bee Culture Magazine
623 W Liberty St
Medina, OH 44256
800.289.7668 ext 3214
www.BeeCulture.com
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