How Much is Your Honey?

[Chris B]

I'm all for importing speciality honeys. I'll happily confess to buying anything that's a little different and don't mind paying speciality prices either. Variety is the spice of life.
Regarding jingoism: remind me to tell you about my English friend who married a French girl in France. We thought it would be lovely to take some English wine (Camel Valley) across to have served to guests at the wedding. The 100 Years War almost kicked off all over again.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

And I find it quite amusing that we have 2 French beekeepers screaming "protectionism", hopefully irony isnt absorbed by the English Channel.

Just the one if you assume that Chris has been adopted. We're full of irony over here in Lincs (its from all the Guinessy). Mind you I like France and lived over there a long time back if that helps.

 

[MandF]

I'm all for importing speciality honeys. I'll happily confess to buying anything that's a little different and don't mind paying speciality prices either. Variety is the spice of life.
Regarding jingoism: remind me to tell you about my English friend who married a French girl in France. We thought it would be lovely to take some English wine (Camel Valley) across to have served to guests at the wedding. The 100 Years War almost kicked off all over again.

I agree - I love to see and try different things, hence buying the local french honey when I was there. I just think there is a difference between "speciality honey" and normal "local honey" from another country.
The former complements british honeys, the latter competes with.

And again, I have no issue with capitalism and market forces, I just dont think it is necessary to be shooting ourselves in the foot here.. lets keep the "local" in "local honey".

And your experience with the camel valley wine (which is lovely) demonstrates the French attitude to English imports! Doesn't France have a language police whose role it is to stop english words entering the French language? As delboy would say "mange tout, mange tout".

 

[MandF]

Just the one if you assume that Chris has been adopted. We're full of irony over here in Lincs (its from all the Guinessy). Mind you I like France and lived over there a long time back if that helps.

Sorry, the french name threw me.

Im married to a Stamford lass, I prefer the ironing to the irony in her case.


;-)

 

[Russel]

I'm all for importing speciality honeys. I'll happily confess to buying anything that's a little different and don't mind paying speciality prices either. Variety is the spice of life.
Regarding jingoism: remind me to tell you about my English friend who married a French girl in France. We thought it would be lovely to take some English wine (Camel Valley) across to have served to guests at the wedding. The 100 Years War almost kicked off all over again.

Bit like coals to......... and a bit risky( or insensitive ) given the way the french kick off for no apparent reason and slightest provocation

 

[Chris Luck]

The fact that I live in France doesn't mean I like all things French, far from it, but as Lauren says, I ain't French....

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV1zK8zRCPo"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV1zK8zRCPo[/ame]

So, firstly it isn't local honey on the shelves with your local honey because only local honey is local honey, therefore local honey in Bristol is no longer local when sold in Bath as only honey that is local to Bath is local in Bath.......

I only mentioned your Return on Investments because you did. By all means flog your honey to make a profit or at any rate help pay for your investments, I don't give mine away either, well only sometimes...

Green, ahhhh yes, but you didn't enquire as to how my honey reaches the UK did you? It goes in a vehicle that would otherwise be empty, not really Green but then putting honey in jars or plastic pots isn't either, however I happily buy produce from the UK, Spain, Holland, Germany, Belgium etc if it is good value. e.g. sheep cheese from the Basque region of Spain rather than the Basque region of France because it's the same and nearly half the price, or another example is my Citroen parts when required from the UK - bizarre eh?

Chris

 

[Russel]

Chriss said "or another example is my Citroen parts when required from the UK - bizarre eh?"

That happens here to Chris, eg. Peugeot van parts being a third of the price than the same Fiat ones, just repackaged into a Peugoet labeled box but boldly stating Made in Italy.

 

[Nic Rhodes]

There isnt any hard evidence either way, but it seems fairly logical to me that de-sensitisation to pollens one is allergic to is possible.
http://www.twickenham-bees.org.uk/honey and hay-fever.html

Honey and Hay Fever by Dr L R Croft makes interesting reading trying to look at the treatment of hay fever with honey (Dept Biologocal Sciences, University of Salford)/

 

[MandF]

Whilst googling for this I found out it was a book, so couldnt read it, however I found a link related to "Honey in medicine" which had a section on hayfever, which summarises Croft's research;

Another controversial possible application of honey is its use for preventing hay fever. Beekeepers claim
that eating honey in the pre-vegetation season (i.e. during winter) will prevent or weaken hay fever
symptoms. A report by Croft presented evidence that daily ingestion during winter time of 10-20 g of honey
resulted in improvements of hay fever symptoms in 16 out of 21 patients27. Münstedt and Kalder found a
positive effect of honey ingestion by means of questionnaire filled out by 29 beekeepers66.
A 2002 clinical trial did not confirm the positive effects of honey ingestions, but honey was taken during the
hay fever season and not before it81.
As hay fever is increasing in developed countries this issue should be faced with more clinical trials, carried
out in a correct way. More research is necessary to clarify this possible effect of honey.

 

[MandF]

And here is the link to the article.

http://www.bee-hexagon.net/files/file/fileE/HealthHoney/9HoneyMedicineReview.pdf

 

[Chris Luck]

There is no evidence that points to "local honey" or any other honey being beneficial for hay fever sufferers or people with any other allergies and I have known as many people to apparently be made worse from eating this as are apparently made better.

Hay fever often arrives and departs from a persons life for many reasons, some are explained, at least in part, (hormone changes), and some aren't.... but really you could say ""insert words of your choice"" may be beneficial to hay fever sufferers.

From Rowse...clearly being very careful what they say about what some people say.

Hay fever is caused by pollen flying through the air and into your nose and eyes. But did you know honey contains pollen too?

A little bit gets into the honey from the flowers that bees visit. So every time you eat honey, you expose yourself to a very small amount of pollen.

Some people believe that exposure everyday through honey will gradually de-sensitise allergic reactions to pollen.

http://www.rowsehoney.co.uk/tag/hayfever/?bee=doctor#2011/05/can-honey-cure-hay-fever/?bee=doctor

Chris

 

[MandF]

As I said Chris, I can only speak for myself. Suffered from hideous hayfever for 38 years, started eating local honey regularly last year - drastically reduced hayfever this season.

I have not changed any other aspect of my lifestyle over the last year.

I personally think that there is no doubt de-sensitisation works with pollen in honey, how effective it is per individual will depend on what pollen(s) they are allergic to, whether those pollens are in the batch of honey they eat, and how sensitive they were.

If pollen in honey is benign, then I find it difficult to see how it could make hayfever symptoms worse in some people!

Do you think that people can get de-sensitised to the effects of a bee sting? Some people do (I dont know if there has been research into this), and I know some people get worse.

 

[MandF]

I googled again.. see this article on bee (& wasp sting) allergies

http://allergycases.org/2005/06/venom-allergy-short-review.html

..and the section on desensitisation

"Desensitization (immunotherapy)

Immunotherapy causes a switch from the abnormal Th2 cytokine response to a Th1 response.

Venom immunotherapy has a 98% efficacy but carries a 10% risk systemic allergic reaction and can cause anaphylaxis."

So, immunotherapy works, but in some people can make the problem worse. That sounds remarkably similar to your experiences with local honey and hayfever!

 

[Chris Luck]

I would like to think that if there was any clear evidence that local honey or any other honey was beneficial for hay fever sufferers then at least one major health service in Europe would have published something and until then I won't be making any claims about its benefits in that area, especially when I have a commercial interest in selling it.

Chris

 

[MandF]

I would like to think that if there was any clear evidence that local honey or any other honey was beneficial for hay fever sufferers then at least one major health service in Europe would have published something and until then I won't be making any claims about its benefits in that area, especially when I have a commercial interest in selling it.

Chris

There is clear evidence, but it is anecdotal, and there needs to be a reason for someone to finance clinical trials. The big drug companies arent going to do that when they already make a huge profit from the existing solution.

Anyhow, I dont see what the problem is here. I dont promise hayfever cures, and I have not seen anyone who does. What I can impart is the other anecdotal evidence, and common sense, and leave it for the customer to make their mind up.

That said, if a customer is interested in giving it a go I will continue to tell them to have local honey as it is more likely to contain the pollen they are allergic to. And that mass produced, blended honey will not, and explain why foreign "local" honey is unlikely to have the same pollen.

I see my job to sell my own honey, and to promote other local honeys in my area (which I happily do).

 

[MandF]

and until then I won't be making any claims about its benefits in that area, especially when I have a commercial interest in selling it.

But Rowse do make those claims? And they have more of a commercial interest than you do?

 

[Chris Luck]

But Rowse do make those claims? And they have more of a commercial interest than you do?

Errrrr, where do they make those claims??? unless you mean this meaningless mumbo jumbo.

Some people believe that exposure everyday through honey will gradually de-sensitise allergic reactions to pollen.

Some people believe in the tooth fairy.

....and anyway, even if they did make iffy claims I'm not responsible for their business ethics.

Chris

 

[mindTheGap]

Well, having eaten local honey all of my life, I can tell you this for a fact, I like honey!

BTW, I sell mine for £5/lb and most people tell me it's too cheap! As others have said, I may move to 12oz next year, but the price will have to reflect extra filling time!

[added in edit]
As to claims.... I never do, but if someone is buying and telling me it's for some unfounded reason, I usually reply "that some people believe it to be so" One must never forget the placebo effect either, and if that does someone good, well it can’t be bad.

 

[MandF]

Errrrr, where do they make those claims??? unless you mean this meaningless mumbo jumbo.

Some people believe that exposure everyday through honey will gradually de-sensitise allergic reactions to pollen.

Some people believe in the tooth fairy.

....and anyway, even if they did make iffy claims I'm not responsible for their business ethics.

Chris

Jesus - ok I give up when you start equating pollen immunotherapy with the tooth fairy.

 

[Chris Luck]

Merely drawing attention to the use of "Some people believe" which is a really daft way to present anything..

Some people believe, I ask you, what ever next.

Chris