When is cut comb not cut comb?

[rockdoc]

Just come back from Canterbury where a trendy food outlet is selling all manner of local produce apart from the honey with 'cut comb' on offer from Spain. Not very local you might say and you would be right, but worse still was the fact that almost all of the comb in the boxes was uncapped. Now I think I am right but we all know the problems of taking and using/selling this sort of comb. Is this a case for trading standards?

 

[Swarm]

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=21115

 

[oliver90owner]

You will find, within the 'Honey Regulations' descriptions that comb honey should be capped. Clear and unequivable.

 

[VEG]

3. comb honey honey stored by bees in the cells of freshly built broodless
combs or thin comb foundation sheets made solely of
beeswax and sold in sealed whole combs or sections of such
combs

The above taken from the regs.

 

[itma]

Just come back from Canterbury where a trendy food outlet ...

Are they interested in more local supplies?
/ and better honey!

 

[Jimmy]

3. comb honey honey stored by bees in the cells of freshly built broodless
combs or thin comb foundation sheets made solely of
beeswax and sold in sealed whole combs or sections of such
combs

The above taken from the regs.

Delving deeper into pedant's corner, what do they mean by sealed?

In the same FSA document, they mention extracted honey being 'honey obtained by centrifuging de–capped broodless combs'.

What (in the eyes of the FSA) is the difference between capped honey and sealed honey?

Do they mean that comb honey must be sold in sealed containers? or that it must be capped (=sealed)?

Clear and unequivable???

 

[rockdoc]

Not sure ITMA if they are really that interested in a local supplier if they are prepared to buy in from Spain, but its worth asking next time I'm in. However, I still think its a trading standards issue.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Unbelievable.

 

[UEAHoneyBeeMan]

I've seen a local honey supplier selling cut comb where approx. 30% has been open cells. I suspect low availability and high demand allows some folk to get away with it. We produce a very small amount which is 100% sealed and it sells very quickly. From a personal perspective, I wouldn't want to offer anything less. I have sold entire frames where there have been no more than 10-15 cells at the very edges which were uncapped but feel this was acceptable.

 

[oliver90owner]

sealed whole combs

Seems clear to me. No mention of packaging. Packaging is elsewhere.

 

[Jimmy]

sealed whole combs

Seems clear to me. No mention of packaging. Packaging is elsewhere.

, I was just taking a pedantic view.