Poor Honey in Tesco

[Poly Hive]

We shopped on Wednesday for the Motor Home to stock her up for our trip to anglesea.

I picked up a jar of English Heather honey and it was so liquid it was silly. I was astonished to see such a poor sample on the shelves.

PH

 

[Norton]

I ask: If you had good heather honey would you sell it in Tesco?
Best regards
Norton

 

[jean]

I picked up a jar of English Heather honey and it was so liquid it was silly.
PH

Hope you put it back down again. Was there something on the jar saying it was English honey made of a mix where only a part was really English ?

 

[mikethebee]

ON a very rear occasion I was in Tesco`s I could not help myself but go look at the honey for sale I to picked up a heather honey from Little over Aperies but if that was heather honey I will eat me boots.
NOW a few years ago I had the trading standards bring me a jar of our heather honey and tell me it was not pure heather honey, I demonstrated to the two officers that the honey was thixortropy by opening the jar smelling and mixing and letting it settle.
NO GOOD because there was traces of broom clover borage in it, I had to alter all my labels to say HONEY FROM THE HEATHER MOORS AND I WAS LUCKY NOT TO BE PROSACUTED.
Now I suppose it could be bell heather sea heather but definitely not ling heather.
I did make a complaint to the manager but he said look mate I don?t give a S^%$T, I?m leaving next week. This got my rag up I told the misses she said go to customers services complaints depart and fill the form in my misses was waiting by the entrance door, I gave the form to the girl behind the counter and left when I got up to my misses she had a stupid grin on her chops I asked her what so funny, She said ill tell you later driving down the road I said well what did you find so funny. She told me as I left the girl read the form and screwed it up and threw it in the bin ?WHAT?

 

[BKF Admin]

Could someone explain what Little over Aperies ONLY PRODUCER OF PURE ?ACTIVE ENGLISH HONEY? Is all about ?

 

[Mosquito]

Any one can put ACTIVE ENGLISH HONEY on there labels.

 

[BKF Admin]

They say they are the only UK producer of active Honey ?

 

[Poly Hive]

I have no idea who Little thingies are but I suspect they have little idea...

Heather Honey on a jar means only one thing ling. If it ain't ling then you have to put Honey from the Heather Moors. That is the legal position.

It is possible via pollen analysis to prove the Ling content but if the honey is proper ling it is obvious to the trained eye. The crap I saw was for sure not Ling. If it moves in the jar it ain't Ling

Trading standards might get a call yet.

PH

 

[mikethebee]

i doubt it tescos to big to push around
all the best mke

 

[BKF Admin]

Is "Littleover Apiaries" the company run by the south African ex army captain who says that ALL AMATURE BEEKEEPING in the uk should be banned ?

 

[Chris B]

Is "Littleover Apiaries" the company run by the south African ex army captain who says that ALL AMATURE BEEKEEPING in the uk should be banned ?

That's right.
I met him at the Good Food Show at the NEC about 3 weeks ago.
Apparently most British honey is contaminated with antibiotics.
It's funny that this doesn't seem to tally with random test results performed each year by government agencies.
(The only contaminations found consistently over the last few years have been from PDB wax moth treatments and even this is a small minority).

I did find myself agreeing with Tony on some points though:
1. The skill level of British beekeeping needs to be raised
2. You should never feed honey to your dog

 

[mikeyspikey]

Yes Admin that's the one and I think we have been here before on another forum! I think the general conclusion was that he appeared not to like 'amateur' beeks and was getting away with murder on the honey description front, but I could not possibly comment.

 

[BKF Admin]

Just searched for it on the other forum and read the thread,like you say many members have already been there.

 

[Frisbee]

i doubt it tescos to big to push around

No they are not. . . nobody can sell anything which is not what it claims to be

It is possible via pollen analysis to prove the Ling content but if the honey is proper ling it is obvious to the trained eye. The crap I saw was for sure not Ling. If it moves in the jar it ain't Ling

I wouldn't know, having never produced or even knowingly eaten Ling Honey, but if it isn't what it should be, complain to Tesco's - head office not the local, and if you get no joy then go to Trading Standards.

Frisbee

 

[Finman]

.
WHAT?

[picture-Edited by Admin]

 

[Hivemaker.]

Is that what you been drinking Finman.

 

[Finman]

Is that what you been drinking Finman.

Mesi is Estonian = honey. Not to drink.

 

[thurrock bees]

littleover apiaries = doneover apiaires ??

 

[Haughton Honey]

2. You should never feed honey to your dog

Can you explain this one Chris B? - I've never heard it before and I've darned well just gone and got myself a black lab bitch!

 

[PaleoPerson]

ON a very rear occasion I was in Tesco`s I could
NOW a few years ago I had the trading standards bring me a jar of our heather honey and tell me it was not pure heather honey, I demonstrated to the two officers that the honey was thixortropy by opening the jar smelling and mixing and letting it settle.
NO GOOD because there was traces of broom clover borage in it, I had to alter all my labels to say HONEY FROM THE HEATHER MOORS AND I WAS LUCKY NOT TO BE PROSACUTED.
QUOTE]

Confused here...
The Honey Regulations 2003 state:
" Note 3: Except in the case of products specified in column 2 of items 7 and 8 a specified honey product may additionally be described by -

(i) its floral or vegetable origin, if the product comes wholly or mainly from the indicated source and possesses the organoleptic, physio-chemical and microscopic characteristics of the source;"

Source:http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2003/20032243.htm

I cannot find a source that states exactly what amount of "other" sources i.e. Borage etc it needs to contain before you can no longer call it a Honey from a specific type of plant, could it be 99%, 80% 60%. Seems a bit muddy here. If your Honey only contained traces of other plants, then it sounds like you were correct in your labelling.

Or am I missing something obvious