Know Your Honey

Like fine wines, different honeys have different flavours, aromas and appearances, and personal preferences play a large part in what you pick from the shelf. But often, when faced with many attractive options, it's difficult to tell the difference between one or the other. Raw. Natural. Unheated. Irradiated. Pure. Organic. Badger friendly. Choice grade. What do these terms actually mean and how important are they when it comes to honey? 

In many cases the words on a label are simply used to persuade shoppers. As a savvy consumer, it's important to understand the differences to be empowered in our choices and support producers who share our values. As for labels that call honey 'pure' - legally all honey should be pure and nothing can be added to it, explains Mike Allsopp, a bee expert from South Africa's Agricultural Research Council. If something is added, it's an adulterated product and shouldn't be classified as honey. The same goes for the word 'natural' on a label, it's not legally required, but indicates that it's not a synthetic manufactured product. 

A 2018 documentary entitled Rotten highlighted the increased global demand for honey, which has led to dishonest producers or bottlers adding syrup to honey to increase volumes. Chinese honey producers were largely accused, and since they export far and wide, adulterated honey could be found anywhere.

Although said to be rare and not proven, adulterated honey is not unheard of in South Africa. Despite honey not being regarded as a high risk food, concerns have been raised about mixing honey with syrup, to make it more affordable. This is completely unethical.

Raw Honey

This is unfiltered, unheated honey. To be classified as 'raw', honey can be warmed (this is usually done so that honey is in a liquid form for packaging) but not heated, and may have been strained through a sieve to remove impurities, but may not have been passed through a filter under pressure. Thus the words raw or 'unheated' on a label mean that the honey has not been warmed above a temperature of 38'C.


Irradiated/Non-Irradiated

In South Africa, all imported honey (except for honey from Zambia, which can be imported without irradiation) must be irradiated as a preventative measure against honeybee pests and diseases, especially American Foulbrood Disease (AFB), which is not infectious to humans, but disastrous for bees. There has been  an outbreak of AFB in the Western Cape since 2009, but this is slowly dissipating. About three quarters of honey sold in South Africa is imported - most of it from China.

So if you are buying honey that lists country of origin as anywhere outside of South Africa or Zambia, it will contain irradiated honey, and this should legally be indicated on the label. Even if only 1% of the content is imported, the honey label needs to indicate that it contains irradiated honey, says Allsopp.

When food is irradiated it is exposed to high-speed particles or electromagnetic radiation, to reduce or eliminate food spoilage, and kill microorganisms (in the case of honey the AFB bacteria) and insects. Like pasteurising milk or canning fruit and vegetables, it is a processing method of food safety used to extend shelf-life and specifically in the case on honey, to control the spread of AFB.

In 1994 the World Health Organisation reported that 'irradiated foods are generally nutritionally equivalent to non-irradiated foods subjected to normal processing'. According to SELF Nutrition Data, 'nearly every food preparation process [such as freezing, drying or cooking] reduces the amount of nutrients in food.

In particular, processes that expose foods to high levels of heat, light, and/or oxygen cause the greatest nutrient loss.' Thus it follows that the less processing of any food, the higher the nutritional value. 'When honey is heated or irradiated it destroys the bioactive ingredients such as propolis and other anti-oxidants and vitamins,' says gene based personalised health and nutrition dietician Judith Johnson.

It is the propolis content that accounts for the antiseptic properties of honey, making it an effective natural remedy. 'The darker and more bitter the honey, the higher the polyphenol and propolis and antiseptic content.' There is a scale that honey growers refer to, and Manuka honey from New Zealand is said to be the highest grade for medicinal value honey, explains Johnson.

Organic

Organic South African honey is very rare and there are few people claiming to produce organic honey locally. While there are regulations in Europe on organic honey (bees must have at least a 12km radius area of pesticide-free, fertiliser free land to forage), there are no such regulations in South Africa. Recently, certified organic brands of honey from Zambia have been made available in South Africa. Allsopp trusts that most honey from Zambia is honestly organic, noting that agriculture in Zambia is very different to South Africa.

Badger-friendly

Honey badgers are an endangered species on the Endangered Wildlife Trust's red species data list. They are notoriously intelligent, strong and fierce and beehive damage by honey badgers is a threat to beekeeping productivity. More than a decade ago, some farmers killed honey badgers to protect their hives. Honey that displays the 'badger friendly' logo comes from a producer who has been audited and found to protect their hives from honey badgers by raising them on stilts for example, rather than hunting or trapping animals that threaten the hives.

This gives a better idea of what the terminology means, but what is actually required to be on a honey label in South Africa? The law is clear on this.

What the law (Honey Standards Act) requires a label to contain in SA:

The country of origin of the contents;

If raw honey is contained, it must clearly state raw or unprocessed;

It must state irradiated or radurised if some or all of the honey within has been irradiated;

The grade of the content (choice grade or industrial grade);

The name of the product must be a true reflection of the kind of honey contained;

The name and business address of the producer, packer or seller;

If sugar cane honey is contained, this must be stated; 

The date of packing and the lot number; 

The net mass.

It is estimated that only 50% of the honey labels in South Africa are compliant with legal requirements. This is not always deliberate on the part of the producer, says Allsopp, but because of a lack of capacity to root out non-compliance, producers who remain ignorant of what is required are unlikely to be taken to task.

'Honey is essentially a bulletproof product, because it doesn't go off,' says Allsopp.

He explains that there are no serious health concerns regarding honey, which is why resources are prioritised for foods where there are legitimate food safety concerns, that can have fatal impacts on human health.

'Adulterated honey is way down on the list of worries,' adds Allsopp. While its unlikely to make anyone sick, honey lovers should be able to clearly identify what they are consuming, and the lack of capacity at government level means that this is not always the case.

There are examples of imported honey not indicating that the product has been irradiated, and country of origin labels could state a number of countries, while it is most likely to be honey from China alone and not contain any local honey.

Another concern is that while the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries would easily be able to see whether or not a honey label is compliant, testing of the actual product inside is a different matter entirely.

Basic testing of relative amounts of sugar, water content and acidity of honey can be done in South Africa, but to test if the sugars present in honey are actually derived from plant nectars and collected by bees, and not from sugar cane, corn syrup or grape sugar for example - this requires sophisticated testing, which can only be done in labs overseas. 

Complaints regarding honey and honey labels can be made to the retailer or to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF). DAFF appoints assignees, which are contracted entities responsible for executing the regulations on behalf of DAFF.

The assignees for honey were recently appointed, however, Magdalene Otto, chief agricultural food and quarantine technician from Inspection Services at DAFF, explains that owing to 'various challenges experienced, the assignee has not yet commenced their assigned mandate'. In the meantime, complaints on honey quality and labelling can be sent to DAFF inspectors. Ultimately, as when it comes time to choose your favourite wine, you must decide what is important to you personally.

Over and above the taste, do you want to support local producers? Make sure the product is as unprocessed as possible?

Choose one that prioritises animal welfare, or one where bees forage in pesticide-free areas?

The choice is yours, but producers should ensure that they are legally compliant and that consumers can clearly and easily tell the difference. The only way that this is likely to happen, is if consumers are more conscious and demanding of the correct information on honey labels.

“Wellness Warehouse strives to help you live life well but because we are retailers and not medical practitioners we cannot offer medical advice. Please always consult your medical practitioner before taking any supplements, complementary medicines or have any health concerns and ensure that you always read labels, warnings and directions carefully, prior to consumption.”