Organic Living and Lifestyle Blog

Organic Honey

September 15th, 2007

It’s pretty obvious to me that organic honey is fast gaining a strong foothold in the honey market.

When I first saw it on the shelves and its big price tag during my grocery shopping, I always wondered what it was and how different it was from the rest of honey varieties. It was only later that I found out that for honey to be certified organic, the manufacturer has to meet a set of very stringent organic standards and conditions during the honey production (set by a organic agriculture certification body), which include source of the nectar, honey bees foraging area, bees management, honey extracting process, transportation, processing temperature, and packaging materials. Organic honey is also tested to guarantee that it does not contain any residues of pesticides or environmental pollutants. Farming of organic honey has to meet rigorous and extensive monitoring and testing criteria of the certification body, for instance, the documentation of, and consultation with every land user within a five kilometer radius of the organic hives to ensure they are free of chemical residue; regular analysis and testing of honey samples; and hives have to be proven free of non-organic honey, sugar and antibiotics. Other than the reason that organic honey is a healthier choice, some ardent consumers of organic foods also feel that honey produced by organic farmers has a more superior taste than conventionally produced honey, and hence are more ready to pay for the extra cost.

I have been warned that some honey which has been packaged and proclaimed as organic may not be truly organic. It takes a lot of resources to ensure against contamination, either by wind or by bee travel, of the bees’ forage by non-organic pollen. Many beekeepers find it unfeasible for them to keep up with the stringent organic guidelines specified by the government. So, to be totally assured that I am paying for good quality honey that is really worth, I look out on the honey bottle for certification of IFOAM IFOAM the worldwide umbrella organization for the organic movement.

Source:http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/organic-honey.html

R. Tan is the owner of the website benefits-of-honey.com which is a rich honey resource community specially built for all the honey lovers and fans in this world. She has packed this website with a wide range of quality contents on honey based on her knowledge and experience with honey, so as to promote its invaluable benefits which she believes could bring many positive spin-offs in everyone’s daily life.

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1 Comment Add your own

1. Gloria Hamilten | September 15th, 2007 at 4:14 pm

Hi Kerri,

Love the article on Organic Honey.

Actually I find all your articles very interesting. I’m a great proponent of all things organic, so I’m thrilled to read your blog.

I’ve been buying organic honey for years, first from Mrs Flannery’s and now from Aldi.

The Aldi one comes from Kangaroo Island, south of Adelaide, South Australia. (These last details are for overseas readers who may not know where K I is).

Great job.

Cheers,

Gloria