# What is allowed in honey?



## rmdial (Jun 30, 2009)

I am a big promoter of raw honey to everyone inquiring about the bees. I know there are FDA regulations allowing things to be added to honey up to a certain percentage of the total weight. I want to explain this to people but want to make sure I am getting my facts right. If anyone knows or can point me to a source I would appreciate it. No luck searching FDA. Thanks


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## gone2seed (Sep 18, 2011)

rmdial said:


> I know there are FDA regulations allowing things to be added to honey up to a certain percentage of the total weight. I want to explain this to people but want to make sure I am getting my facts right.


I think you are wrong about the FDA regs.There should be nothing in honey but honey and some pollen grains depending on the level of filtration.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

rmdial said:


> If anyone knows or can point me to a source I would appreciate it. No luck searching FDA. Thanks


Perhaps USDA (Dept of Ag) standards will work for you:
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELDEV3011895


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Honey is Honey and anything added to it make it Honey plus something else and must be detailed on the Label under "Ingredients". Otherwise Honey itself needs no Ingredient Label.


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## rmdial (Jun 30, 2009)

OK, I stand corrected. Either I misunderstood, or my sources are off their rocker. Someone mentioned this could have something to do with water content and being able to bring honey up to the maximum allowed by adding water back. Is this also incorrect?

Thanks for input.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Moisture content of honey is 16.5% to 18.5%. Anything above 18.5% is prone to ferment.

Adding water to low moisture honey to bring it up to 18.5% moisture content is tricky and of little value. You won't really have vcery much more honey in the end and there's that fermentation thing. I wouldn't try it.

Drying honey is another matter. But, only if the honey is of too high a moisture content. Then one can remove some of the moisture to bring it down to where it won't ferment. This is not that uncommon, but few of us need to do it.

Harvest your honey when at least 75% of all of the honey combs are capped and the moisture content should be okay. Unless you live in a high humidity place. Then you would want more surface area capped.

Some honeys are normally high moisture and stable too. I don't know which ones they are and have no experience with them. Soi, I don't concern myself w/ them.


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## deknow (Jul 17, 2006)

The national honey board tells us that nothing is added to honey AFTER IT HAS BEEN EXTRACTED FROM THE COMB. ...this tells us nothing about what is put into the hive and comb before extraction.

Deknow


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## rmdial (Jun 30, 2009)

Ok, all of this information about honey is honey leads me to ask why everyday national brand honey in the supermarket tastes so much less like honey than local raw or even local heated honey?


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

There are some 300 or more kinds of honey world wide. There is a lot of variation in color and flavor. I would not expect any honey bought from a chain grocery to taste like my honey and yet they are both honey. I'm not really sure what you mean.


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## HONEYDEW (Mar 9, 2007)

rmdial said:


> Ok, all of this information about honey is honey leads me to ask why everyday national brand honey in the supermarket tastes so much less like honey than local raw or even local heated honey?


 their honey is cooked and blended with several thousand other beeks honey till it reaches a set color standard. If you notice store honey is most always same color, If it was different every month people would think something was up..


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