From: "Allen Dick" <[log in to unmask]>
Newsgroups: sci.agriculture.beekeeping
Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2001 1:49 AM
Subject: Re: Quality of Honey

"James Fischer" <[log in to unmask]> wrote in message
news:98n0l3011co@drn.newsguy.com...
> Allen Dick said:
> >Unfortunately, because most of the honey offered to the public
> >is either mass processed or from small operators who very often
> >misunderstand and mishandle honey,
>
> You clearly explained how large operators mangle honey, but
> how exactly do small operators mishandle honey?  What are the
> most common errors in your view?  I'd love to start making a
> list of the worst errors and the solutions

Well, I doubt that I can do the matter justice because there are so many
pitfalls, and some are subtle, but it starts right at the hive.  I can see
you want to make me work...

How is the hive built, and what glues, paints, preservatives, etc. are used?
Where is the hive located?  Is the area subject to serious pollution or
vandalism?
Do neighbours vandalise or spray the hive with insecticide? What then?
What chemicals are used on the hive and when?  'Natural' substances are
chemicals.
Where are the hive parts stored when not in use?  What fumes or liquids may
contact the parts?
What animals and insects might be in contact with the hive?
What is fed to the hive?  When? Can it get into the honey?  If so, is it
approved?  Is it dangerous or...?
How are diseases and pests controlled?  Chemicals, radiation, fumigation?
How is the honey removed and how is it handled and transported?  Fumes?
Dust? Dirt? Chemicals?
How is it stored until extraction?
What kind of extraction and uncapping devices are used?  Materials?
Cleanliness?
What kind of room is being used for the job?  Outdoors?
How is the equipment and environment cleaned?  Chemicals?
Are the people healthy,  clean and properly dressed?  Hair nets or hats?
Are they trained and "food conscious'?
Is all honey from a known source or bought from another beekeeper?
Are premises inspected?  Questions answered?
Can anything fall into a super or tank?  Are things stored or placed above
the honey at any point? Breast pockets?
Are there flies or bees, vermin, dust, fumes, etc. in the packing room?
Are lights protected against breakage?  Ceiling beams -- if any -- clean?
Are cleaning materials or pesticides etc. in the honey room?
Is the water used in the honey handling area certified potable for public
purposes?
Is the honey dry enough to not ferment?
Spills: What happened?  What happens to the spilled honey?
Bottling and storage tanks:  Materials? History?  Cleaning materials?
Heating/warming method?
What is it strained through and how fine?  Material?  Heat?
What containers are used?  New?  Used?  Washed?  With what?  When?
Container materials? Previous contents?
Labelling?  Truthful?  Lawful? Durable?  Washable?  Attractive?
Labelling inks?  Smelly?  Lids stamped, then stacked?  Transfer of smell?
Filled containers stored where?  Chemicals?  Smells?  Exterior contamination
of jars, pails, etc.
Store shelf: In sunlight?  Containers sticky due to leaks?  Old stock with
unsightly partial granulation?
Tamper-proof seal?  Supervision of unsold product?
Stale product: Melted?  How?  How often?
Broken and damaged product: salvaged?  How?

These are just a few of the obvious points and I trust Murray or someone
else will add some more.  As you can see, there are zillion ways the
uninitiated and untrained can go astray.

> >the public has turned slowly away from our product and we
> >are losing ground in the marketplace.
>
> Turned away?  What with Honey cough-drops, Honey-Nut Breakfast
> Cereals, Honey-Flu medicines, and so on, it appears that
> "Honey" has a great reputation as a high-end sweetener.

Our _word_ sweetens the bottom line of many companies, but our _product_ is
not the primary sweetener in most of the products carrying the word "honey".

People love our word and call their spouses, children and other loved ones
'honey', bit they do not buy our product in any significant quantity,
especially compared to all other sweeteners.

> It appears that the robber-baron multinationals have done
> enough focus-group studies to conclude that one can sell
> more of ANYTHING if one simply puts the word "Honey" in
> front of it.  This proves that honey is clearly a
> "value-added feature" to them.

If only they would show as much enthusiasm and commitment to putting
significant amounts of real honey into the product.

> The trick now seems to be to start marketing honey from
> specific floral sources and/or areas, and take a page from
> the wine industry's play-book.  Sadly, this forces the big
> operators who blend honey, micro-filter, and pasteurize into
> the position of selling "cheap beer" as compared to the smaller
> producers' "vintage wines", but there would be nothing stopping
> a large producer from marketing non-blended, not-so-filtered,
> unpasteurized honey.

All the advertising in the world can only get the buyer to try a product
once.   When they give you that one try, it's Showtime -- make it or break
it.

One bad -- or even poor --  experience can turn people away for a lifetime
and also even affect their friends and children's habits.   Sadly, much of
the honey sold does not convince the buyer that this is something to buy
again, particularly in preference to cheaper standardised and predictable
substitute items.

> I think that all must admit that many people prefer
> extracted honey to in-the-comb honey, as there are a
> growing number who like "creamed" honey. While a true
> connoisseur like yourself may consider them "inferior", it
> might be more accurate to call them "different products".

I doubt that I am a true connoisseur, but one of the things that has put
people off comb honey is its perishable nature.  Most people do not like
hard granulated or coarse granulated honey and often comb becomes
unattractive to eat long before it becomes unattractive to the eye.
Consequently hard comb honey is sold once and the customer forever after
avoids it.  Comb really should be a freezer item.

As for creamed honey, it is okay.  Most of the honey turned out by the
packing plants is okay.  I eat it.  I am talking about getting past "okay"
to "great".

> I may be wrong, but
> my impression has been that only real honey will
> crystallize.  This might be an elegant way to avoid lots
> of expensive tests and complicated finger-pointing.

HFCS granulates nicer than any honey and quickly too.

allen