Here in the Netherlands, the Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority found pyrrolizidine alkaloids (the bulk from Senecio, ragwort but also from Echium) in about 30% of the 2007 honey samples. 

 

The advice of the FCPSA to the government is that it is hard to identify the honey and that people will only get larger amounts of the alkaloids when they eat large volumes of honey continuesly. No specific cases are known and no special warning to the public has been issued. 

 

But they did find more PA in honey in 2008 and the FCPSA is keeping an eye on it. But there is still necesssity for a public warning according to the report and one never hears anything about it these days. 

 

With a moderate consumption of honey you will probably be safe.

 

The PA are also found in milk as the plant is in the hay that is fed to cows sometines.

 

Unfortunately in Dutch: the risk assesment report of PA in honey

 

http://www.jakobskruiskruid.com/website/bestanden/Advies_PA_in_honing.pdf

 

atb

Lennard

 

 
 

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