In a message dated 21/12/2006 18:16:52 GMT Standard Time,  [log in to unmask] 
writes:

Somebody  mentioned to me that honey has an expiring date of 3 years and
he was very  serious about it. I may be mistaken but does honey have an
expiring data at  all?



Depends where you are and local regulations.  In the EU these has to  be a 
'Best before' date on labels but no guidance as to how long this should be.  In 
practice one estimates how long the batch of labels will last and allows a  
margin for error. 
 
There is also a maximum permitted level of HMF in honey sold as table honey  
rather than for cooking. This 40ppm. Honey that has not been heated and is 
kept  cool is unlikely to exceed this for several years whereas the level will 
soon be  reached when honey is heated or stored in warm ambient temperature.  
There  is no easy and cheap way for the amateur beekeeper accurately to estimate 
the  HMF level in the honey he sells, although there seems to be an indirect  
relationship with levels of H2O2 which can be checked with test strips that  
change colour.
 
Chris

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