At 07:34 AM 9/11/98 -0400, you wrote:
 
Hi Honey Producers & Honey Consumers!
 
Hunter remarked:
 
>honey contains very small amounts of the botulism bacteria. This bacteria
>produces the most powerful bacterial toxin known to man.
 
Many believe this, the question could be can we as honey producers and
honey consumers reduce the amount of spores by changing our own actions
such as covering supers of honey with dust proof covering when transporting
supers of honey from the bee yard to the extracting site or on our own
tables? I don't know the answer just asking the question.
 
>Fortunately, it occurs in such small amounts that the normal immune system
can knock it down
>without trouble.
 
This must be true as people including their infants and children have been
eating honey for several generations since we left the trees and there is
nothing to indicate in our written records of a massive man or even a baby
kill because of it. A tie to crib death has not been linked to botulism as
once was claimed by a certain zealot in the California State Department of
Health who was singly responsible for the campaign against honey. One
rotten bureaucrat can increase the amount of anxiety in the life of all who
live in the honey barrel.
 
>Infants, however, are a different story.  Supposedly, their immune systems
(as well as those of the very >elderly) aren't up to the challenge.  Its a
shame infants have to miss out on honey, but there is no
>reason for anybody to take unnecessary risks.
 
Some say with authority that what you say about infants is true, I have
never seen anything at all about older humans having any problem at all
with normal use of honey in their diets and doubt there is any such
information. I think there is confusing information or thoughts on immune
systems because of our new knowledge of AIDS and this is not what we
experience as we age but of course in any serious health problems there are
changes made in our life but in the majority of ageing persons even with
problems of the ageing the use and even increased use of honey to replace
other sweeteners is a positive experience and may even extend life for some
of the same reasons some mother's are careful about feeding to much honey
to babies.
 
As for the infants...I have read the record of those who proposed botulism
in honey as a threat to infants in the legislature of California and then
in the courts and I was not convinced of a problem or were the majority of
others who were interested other then those on the fringe who proposed the
idea in the first place. The honey industry went along with the orders of
the court to supply information to infant care givers because it was the
least costly alternative the other being years of costly litigation over
including "infant warnings" on every consumer container of honey. Some say
that it reduces our liability as honey producers but this is not true and
anyone who thinks that the death of any infant that could be prevented is
not serious has no heart and may be their own worst enemy. If there is no
liability it is because there is no real danger that could be prevented by
excluding honey in the infants diet.
 
IMHO Mothers who do not mind changing diapers should not fear the use of
honey as a sugar replacement in children's food, those who would rather not
maybe should at least wait until the infants can be potty trained as the
real documented effect of honey on infants is softening of the stools. But
please remember I am not a doctor or lawyer and what I am repeating is only
the experience of others who also may not be doctors or lawyers and only
parents if that makes any difference.
 
The truth is that if you put some strains of natural occurring botulism in
honey it will not disappear on its own. Most honey at retail has little or
no botulism but any honey once the container is opened will in time be
contaminated with any botulism that is present in the dust of the living
area, which is true for most any  foods. Honey used in processed food that
are cooked do not contain viable botulism until those foods are opened and
exposed.
 
I am not recommending the feeding of honey to infants as I don't recommend
the dosing of their bottle with wine to promote peaceful afternoon naps
which may or may not lead to alcoholism in the adult child.
 
ttul, the OLd Drone
http://beenet.com
 
 
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