Sunshine State to Honey Producers: No Junk in the Honey

The Food Section published this post today, announcing that Florida is establishing standards of purity for honey made or sold in the state.  Notable because it’s the first regulation of its kind in the country—maybe even the world.  The ruling allows “no additives, chemicals or adulterants.”  In other words, nothing in the honey that’s not honey.

This ruling is a pro-active response to the FDA’s bitch slap; They shot down a petition to establish such a purity standard after countless tons of tainted honey from foreign lands entered the food supply a few years back.  (Does chloramphenicol sound like something you want on your toast?)

Good news, right?  But don’t you also find this measure troubling?  I mean, had it ever occurred to you that your honey would NOT be pure and unadulterated?  It’s sort of like sitting down in a restaurant and seeing a sign that says, “Our pledge to you:  No rats.”  It’s like, why would there be?  It raises more questions than it answers.

Reassuring to know, perhaps, that the honey from Big Sky Honey Farm is always free from chemicals, additives and adulterants.  It’s produced on the open range in Montana—where, let one L.A. girl assure you, there is nothing around for miles.  If you want to know more, check out Our Bees(ness).  We’re an open book.   

 Kudos to Florida lawmakers.  Now if they could just do something about that new Bravo show set in South Beach.  Talk about adulterants…