If you're eating honey because it's supposed to be healthy, better think again. An investigative report titled "Honey Laundering" in the Seattle P-I has revealed that many American shoppers are unwittingly buying contaminated Chinese honey.
With American beehives dying off, the United States is importing a lot its honey -- 237 million pounds last year. The Chinese use a banned antibiotic to treat beehive diseases, so their honey isn't legal in the U.S. But it's easy for shippers in other countries to fraudulently relabel Chinese honey and sell it to U.S. suppliers.
The Seattle P-I article states: "Countries that have few if any commercial beekeepers, such as Singapore, are now exporting significant quantities of honey, records show. That includes the Grand Bahamas, which has been listed as the country of origin for honey shipped into Houston..."
And if you think the word "organic" on your honey label means you're in the clear, then you need to read Part 2 of the Seattle P-I report.
-- Robb Walsh
