KosherBuzz
Real Honey for Rosh Hashanah

Chances are the honey you purchased to dip apples into on Rosh Hashana is not truly honey. According to Food Safety News (www.foodsafetynews.com), which tested over 60 honey containers sold in 10 states and the District of Columbia, 76 percent of samples bought at groceries and 77 percent from large retail chain stores had all the pollen removed, which is the only real way to identify the source of honey. All honey sold in drugstores and given out in fast food restaurants had been ultrafiltered, which heats, sometimes waters down and then filters the honey to remove pollen. This is different from traditional straining methods that retain pollen. 

Although the Food and Drug Administration states that any product without pollen is not honey, the FDA does not inspect honey, and illegal, contaminated honey from China—many hiding unhealthy sweeteners and antibiotics—has flooded the North American market.

This article is reprinted from Hadassah Magazine, and certainly offers food for thought when purchasing honey. There are so many varieties. Bee educated....to make a sweet choice!

Vaughn Bryant, professor at Texas A&M University and a pollen expert who analyzed the 60 containers, found the full amount of pollen in every honey sample from farmers' markets, food cooperatives and health stores like Trader Joe's; 71 percent of organic samples from major grocery chains passed the test.

Raw, unprocessed honey that is harvested by beekeepers has medicinal properties and antiallergenic benefits. It contains nutrients, enzymes and antioxidants and appears in many varieties, depending on the flowers and plants where bees seek their nectar. —Sara Trappler Spielman.

To read the entire article, originally reported in 2011, click here: Show Most Store Honey Isn't Honey

To read all about honey, as reported by the National Honey Board, click here: Honey Varietals