Hello:

This makes good sense, and I agree with you.  As a customer, regardless of 
the product, I only purchase goods that are labeled with clear information 
as to the contents.  Regulations for the labeling process should be in 
place, and adhered to.

I am Canadian, In the province of Prince Edward Island.

Canadian grade standards are very stringent.   However, in this province, 
there is another set of controls.  It works like this:  for honey to be used 
locally  (within the Province) water content is tested for.  Labels must be 
clear whether the honey was produced in PEI, or just packed here.  Any honey 
going out of Province must be graded by the National standards.

I have been a hobby beekeeper for about twenty five years, and active in the 
beekeeping association during that time.  I discovered early that I am 
allergic to beesting, so never developed a large operation.  Five years ago 
someone set up 26 colonies less than 500 yards from my property.  Not being 
sure "how the wind would blow" I gave away my equipment and now only attend 
the annual meeting of our association, and read this BEE-L for the interest.

Eunice Wonnacott
Prince Edward Island
Canada
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ron van Mierlo" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, March 25, 2006 5:27 AM
Subject: Re: [BEE-L] Packer Organic Honey and Labeling


> To Ron Bogansky and rest of the group,
>
> On Dutch Gold:
> I had a look at all the pages of the "Dutch Gold" Internet site, since I 
> never heard of them yet but quickly had to come to the conclusion that it 
> completely failes to declare what their honey actually contains and how it 
> was produced. Any possible honey manipulation by the hands of the 
> beekeeper or the Dutch Gold plants themselves seems to be carefully 
> avoided. I have not seen written anywhere either how their honey is 
> tested, by which methods and how often. So I for one would therefore never 
> buy their honey, while knowing also how easy you Americans are about the 
> application of chemicals in your hives against bee pests and diseases.
> So seeing that so much important information is omitted on the internet 
> site and labels, I presume that Dutch Gold is well aware how revealing and 
> negative such information could be for them.
>
> I am against manipulative ways to try and sell honey (or any other product 
> for that matter). For me a label should be an honest representation for 
> the product in the jar and then the product will surely sell! So no 
> misleading expressions, but yes by all means use fine images. Some people 
> are very good in drawing a nice picture that tells the whole story for the 
> apiary where the honey comes from. Of course for a honey distribution 
> center or reseller the personal touch on labels that individual apiaries 
> can apply will be impossible.
>
> To Ron B.and your fellow countrymen/women: If your observation is right 
> that you in general go more on looks of the label than what is actually 
> present in the jar, then I can't understand you people any longer. Then 
> even more you would have to demand that the information given on labels is 
> complete and includes a declaration of what it contains and by which 
> methods it was produced, including information on added sugars to keep a 
> certain viscosity.
>
> While writing this to mainly you guys out there in the USA, I must admit 
> that I also have objections to how a honey distributor in Sweden behaves. 
> There too I would like to see more tests done on the honey, since it seems 
> that they so far only rely on the results of  occasional tests performed 
> by the Swedish food administration service. I other words, much honey is 
> never tested. Futhermore, what do they actually test for? (I sent a 
> request for more information on their testing, but so far no response!).
> As I understood all imported honey undergoes stringent testing, honey 
> taken from local Swedish beekeepers is only tested by the honey 
> distributor for water content. I'd like to see more stringent tests done 
> even on the Swedish produced honey!
>
> Ron van Mierlo
> Sweden
> -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and  other info --- 

-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and  other info ---