>> Are they all lying?

No certainly not, however there is some that sneaks in under the radar.
And for the imitation/mixed stuff that is labeled "correctly", the
general consumer often doesn't know the difference even if they are
truthful (however obfuscating) about the product. So it's the all about
money argument again and taking advantage of the innocent consumer.

"Organic Honey" isn't strictly about "organic honey" its about raising
the bar of standards that can be expected. "Organic Honey certification"
is something like "I.T. Certification", no you can't count on that
certified computer engineer being able to perform beyond expectations,
but it does provide a measurable baseline to draw from. Are there
uncertified IT people who can get the job done with excellence, you bet
and more of them exist than the certified brand. There are people out
there however who "think" they can do it, and will go out into the job
market procuring a job they are unqualified for, therefore the
certification process is a filter that gives the job holder/applicant a
baseline that says, "He knows the material necessary to get certified."

Organic Honey is in a very similar situation. Is there honey out there
that is of just as good and pure quality as labeled organic honey? Sure.
However by following as clean a system as is naturally possible ( And it
is VERY possible as more and more people are adopting it very
successfully on all scales) we are ensuring that we provide a baseline
of quality. By being organic, we know our honey meets certain criteria
that assures a measureable quality. With other nameless brands of honey
on the shelf, sure it "could be" just as good or better, but we'll never
know unless we put the honey and apiary through the tests.

Is "organic honey" more valuable than "general unqualified honey". Yes
and no, it is more valuable because as beekeepers we have gone to the
trouble of assuring (whether baseless or not) that there is nothing
wrong with our honey nor the bees making it. We have gone through the
tough processes of getting off of chems (for those who have been on
them), and yes I think that work, suffering, blood and sweat are worth
the extra dollar. Is it garranteed that our honey is better quality that
general honey? No, but at least we have something measurable, something
we can say we did or did not do to improve the quality of our honey and
the health and happiness of the lives that create it.

--
Scot Mc Pherson
The Mc Pherson Family Honey Farms
Davenport, Iowa USA

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