Most "honey" sold in stores is not REAL honey but really high fructose corn syrup

Originally from:

http://www.thenaturalsinger.com/food-politics/adulterated-honey-fake-honey/

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If you are in the US, it is believed that more than a third of the honey sold there is not pure honey and is likely smuggled in from China and India. The honey from these regions often contains dangerous heavy metals and also antibiotics. The United States’ FDA (Food and Drug Administration) have assured consumers that the honey is safe even though food safety experts have attested to the fact that the biggest honey packers in the US knowingly purchase honey that has been mislabeled and sent there from China. The reason is believed to be one thing.

“It’s no secret that the honey smuggling is being driven by money, the desire to save a couple of pennies a pound,” said Richard Adee, who is the Washington Legislative Chairman of the American Honey Producers Association.

The FDA’s regulations even state that a product without pollen cannot be legally labeled as honey. However, most of the jars tested in an investigation conducted by consumer watchdog organization, Food Safety News, came up with no pollen whatsoever. The honey is refined to such a degree that all of the pollen is filtered out of it and therefore cannot be traced to its origin. Other substances like cheap high fructose corn syrup or other artificial sweeteners are added to bulk up the product.

Investigation Revelations
Investigators at Food Safety News tested 60 jars of honey in the US and each and every one of them came back negative for pollen. They also discovered the following for these stores:

• 76% of samples purchased at grocery stores (such as TOP Food, Safeway, QFC, Kroger, Harris Teeter, etc.) did not have pollen.
• 77 % of the honey from corporate giants like Costco, Sam’s Club, Walmart, and Target were also absent of pollen.
• 100% of the honey sampled from drug stores like Walgreens, Rite-Aid, and CVS Pharmacy had no pollen whatsoever.

Here is a short list of US honey brands that were tested but did not show any trace of pollen:

-American Choice Clover Honey
-Archer Farms Orange Blossom Honey
-Archer Farms Organic Classic Honey
-Busy Bee Organic Honey
-Busy Bee, Pure Clover Honey
-Full Circle Pure Honey
-Giant Eagle Clover Honey
-GE Clover Honey
-Great Value, Clover Honey
-Haggen Honey, Natural & Pure
-HT Traders Tupelo Honey
-Kroger Pure Clover Honey
-Market Pantry Pure Honey
-Mel-O 100% Pure Honey
-Natural Sue Bee Clover Honey
-Naturally Preferred Fireweed Honey
-Rite Aid Honey
-Safeway Clover Honey
-Silver Bow Pure Honey
-Stop & Shop Clover Honey
-Sue Bee Clover Honey
-Thrifty Bee Honey
-Valutime Honey
-Walgreen MEL-O Honey
-Western Family Clover Honey
-Wegman Clover Honey
-Winnie the Pooh, Pure Clover

Lab At Home
While I am really hopeful about this development, it is doubtful that this technology will be able to test each and every jar on the market. In the meantime, here are some ‘less than scientific’ tips that may help you to determine whether or not your honey is genuine.

The Water Test

Put a tablespoon of honey into a glass of water. If the honey does not dissolve at the bottom of the glass, it is likely pure honey. Jaggery is the most common additive to honey and jaggery dissolves in water.

The Absorption Test

Put a drop of honey on some cotton cloth or a piece of low-grade paper. If the honey spreads on the paper or seeps through, then it is not real honey. You can also put a drop of honey on the cotton cloth and wash it. If there is a stain left then it is most likely fake honey.

Checking For Water Content Test

There is very little water in honey – less than 20%. Fake honey has a higher water content. To test the water content in your honey, you can take a piece of bread and put it in your honey. If the bread hardens then your honey is most likely real. However, if the bread softens or falls apart then the honey has additives.