The big story about honey these past couple of years is colony collapse disorder, the disturbing phenomenon of mass die-offs of bees. But one I learned about years ago that doesn't get enough play is that what is sold as honey in most U.S. markets actually isn't: it's all sorts of additives with only a hint of the stuff. And one thing I learned today from a blockbuster report in Food Safety News is that at least a third of all the honey eaten in the United States–if not more–actually comes from China through a long, tortured process that involves contamination, duplicity and smuggling.
China already owns our debt, but our honey? WAKE UP, PEOPLE!
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The author of the story was two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Andrew Schneider, so you know it's not a Coast to Coast conspiracy. Tellingly, none of the major honey sellers in the United States returned Schneider's request for comments. Read the piece–it's investigative journalism at its best.
The takeaway, of course, is to purchase honey from your local beekeeper–I've always liked Backyard Bees the best, since all of their honey is sourced from Orange County and they get in fights with exterminating zealots even though they're such sweet ladies…
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