Garth wrote:
>
> Hi Tracey/All
>
> Tracy, you mention your worries about chinese honey - I have mine too
> (my country has just unwisely as usual decided to import a few
> hundred tonnes of chinese honey).
>
> However one must bear in mind that Asian peoples havea fantastic
> understanding of life that is missing in the west. They view farming
> practises (I am generalising here) in a three dimensional perspective
> - whereas we in more western/ised countries view it more on a two
> dimensional perspective. We would do monoculture - the chinese not.
>
> An example is varroa - I would never like to see western honey sold
> in my country as it is produced in countries which are so balze about
> dangerous chemicals it is terrifying. I would prefer chinese honey
> produced by a people who have survived successfully
> with a high density civilisation for more than 4000 years as opposed
> to our chemical enhanced western one.
 
 
        Three dimensional view, mono or multi crop, 4000 yr. old culture aside,
the fact remains that
the quality of Chinese hive products have earned a poor reputation. By
now just about everyone in the industry is aware that there has been an
on going problem with their honey being cut with corn or rice syrup and
being turned back at several borders. I once spoke to a wax buyer, one
who regularly purchases 20,000 lb + lots of beeswax, who told me they
found so much stuff in Chinese wax they no longer consider it for
purchase. The stuff he mentioned included scrap metal evidently included
to increase weight. As for chemical use, the Chinese also have varroa
mites and use chemicals to control them. I realize that there are many
out there that do not share my veiws on chemical regulation, but I for
one would rather get my foods from places that have controls on chemical
use and a culture that places value on food purity, the enviroment, and
the workers.
 
                                                                        Vince