At 08:17 AM 9/10/98 -0500, you wrote:
 
>If I read the press release right.  Unpasturized apple juice will now carry
>a warning about botulism.  Unpasturized apple juice has the same problem as
>honey.  No way to wash (sterilize) the product without ruining the "natural"
>flavor and some of the proteins.
 
Hi Richard and Honey Lovers, We got to stick together!
 
If true its sad and really is one way of stopping the sale of
"unpasteurized apple juice" as we have done with unpasteurized milk. I
guess it is not enough today to provide information to the consumer about
"risks" and let us make up our own minds as we may make the wrong choice
according to some bureaucrat or academic.
 
I think its called dumbing down, it seems that here in the US we are doing
a lot of this and today we all await the public release on the Internet of
a report of a dumb president that got into trouble because of it or is
there a difference between going down and dumbing down. I guess when you
are the President of the United States and do it on the job with a intern
it really demostrates to the world of the dumbing down of morals in
American politicians if nothing else.
 
If this dumb labeling was applied to packaged honey that would not bee good
other then most commercial  honey is also pasteurized and filtered in the
packaging process and I would assume that would reduce the problem but
would not help in the case of a open container at the consumer level that
will receive the natural botulism spores that are in dust from the home.
 
Honey at the producer level does contain several nasty sounding things such
as:
 
"Osmophilic Yeast <100/gm Total Aerobic Mesophilic <1000/gm Sulphite
Anaeroobic Reducing Spores <100/gm Coliforms <1/gm Clostridium Botulinum <1gm"
 
At least the honey produced in Australia does according to the information
advertised for the world to see on their web page as "Australian Honey
Quality Specifications":
 
http://www.wescobee.com/Netscape/fi.htm
 
To label this kind of information as "quality specifications" would seem to
be a mistake, at least to me, in the English translation as by inference
any honey that does not contain these contaminants is of less quality, and
value,  which puts the good conscientious honey producer who takes care in
how honey is handled at a disadvantage or is this just taking honesty in
advertising to a new level. I wonder if Australia will also volunteer to
include this information on the containers for honey they export? I can see
it now,,,,
 
PURE H-O-N-E-Y PRODUCED IN AUSTRALIA Guaranteed to contain both botulism
and coliform!
 
Sure sounds like some of the stuff the UN is looking for in Iraq doomsday
weapons. Our babies are doomed, but not to worry in America new chemicals
everyday are being allowed in honey and in time adults will also catch up
with the infants and Dr. Death will include honey in his "end it all
cocktail" for us old timers.
 
ttul, the OLd Drone
http://beenet.com