Xmas competition - uses for Supermarket 'honey'

[Apiarisnt]

I see own-brand 'honey' is back on the shelves. There was a good article by Wendell Steavenson in the FT yesterday:

'Ninety per cent of honey in Britain is imported and, according to Interpol, roughly a third of all honey sold in the world has been adulterated one way or another. Bees can be fed sugars to increase production and honey can be flavoured with artificial flavours, darkened with resin, and diluted with glucose, high fructose corn syrup or sugar beet; multi-floral honey might be labelled as single-flower — acacia, clover, orange blossom. Commodity honey is often ultra-filtered, removing the pollen, which makes it impossible to genetically identify its geographic origin and under EU definitions, not legally honey.

High value and non-perishable, honey is an obvious target for counterfeiters. There is no single method for authenticating honey, fraudsters are one step ahead of regulators and trusted brands from Australia to Canada have been showing up with added syrups.

China is the largest producer of honey and there have been historical issues of contamination with lead and antibiotics as well as repackaging and mislabelling. Chinese honey was temporarily banned by the EU in 2002; Indian honey, suspected to have been laundered from China, was banned in 2010. Much of Britain’s supermarket honey is labelled simply, “product of non-EU countries' ​

etcetera

Just as I heard suggested a cheap cabernet sauvignon might be useful for stripping pine furniture, what uses can people suggest for Supermarket 'honey'? I will kick off with: making trick or treat sweets.

 

[For want of a better word]

Any so called supermarket honey would be best placed onto the compost heap!

https://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2012/06/can-honey-go-bad-or-make-you-sick/

Unless it says "Product of UK" on the label, do not eat it!

 

[Michael Palmer]

Have a big crop of awesome honey sitting in my shop. Was awarded Very Highly Commended at NHS, for honey from my bulk tank.

Never had trouble selling my crop for a good price...until now.

Recently I was inboxed Mexico for a couple weeks. Speaking engagement. I was shown a web site advertising international offers of honey. Just about every country. Dozens and dozens of offers. 55mm honey for $1100 a metric ton at point of entry in the US. Really!? $0.50 a pound at point of entry.

Now I'm seeing honey on the shelf from Vietnam and Ukraine so cheap I can't sell mine. No how the Hell does a beekeeper in Ukraine make a living at that price? Everyone...producer, buyer, broker shipper is making money at 50 cents a pound. And the honey has the country of origin hidden in dot matrix somewhere on the container. We're getting screwed by the importers and screwed by our government who allows it.

Are you seeing the same?

 

[steve1958]

Are you seeing the same?

There is a lot of very cheap imported supermarket honey available for people.
As a beekeeper that keeps bees for a hobby I have no problem selling the excess honey my bees make.
I can see it's very different for you though with so many hives

 

[Erichalfbee]

Well, trading standards have a jar of this to look at so watch this space

 

[Michael Palmer]

So how does it make sense to sell honey for that price. How do you spell adulterated?

 

[blackcloud]

Well sticking to the op subject,I would use the supermarket product to make honey glazed sirloin steak because it would be in keeping with their Chinese sourced Xmas cards and most of their beef has done a few laps around Doncaster race course anyways.
Coupled with their history of creative accountancy and ultra hackable bank accounts it's all going well for my favourite company.
Ha.

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Well sticking to the op subject,I would use the supermarket product to make honey glazed sirloin steak because it would be in keeping with their Chinese sourced Xmas cards and most of their beef has done a few laps around Doncaster race course anyways.
Coupled with their history of creative accountancy and ultra hackable bank accounts it's all going well for my favourite company.
Ha.

Love the bit about the beef.....

 

[pargyle]

I think we are on a bit of a sticky wicket here guys ... I would keep your comments non-specific to any particular outlet or brand..

This is a public forum ..

I'm happy to state that most supermarket honey that I've tasted is best used as a sample when you are selling your own honey alongside it ... the taste test when punters are given the option rarely fails to make a sale. There will always be the odd one who likes the sugary bland sweetness of the average supermarket basic honey but they are few and far between...

 

[steve1958]

Well, trading standards have a jar of this to look at so watch this space

I am sure the seller purchased stock supplies of this in good faith.
They certainly are being generous with their prices.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I think we are on a bit of a sticky wicket here guys ... I would keep your comments non-specific to any particular outlet or brand..

This is a public forum ..

..

I’ve tried to do that.
Have I missed any?

 

[Erichalfbee]

I am sure the seller purchased stock supplies of this in good faith.
They certainly are being generous with their prices.

Maybe but a supermarket should test bulk honey?
Trading standards explained to me that they would look to see if there had been any before they analysed it themselves.

 

[Erichalfbee]

You can’t expect the public to complain about possible fraud.
It’s up to beekeepers to call shops out. For a £1 that honey price is ridiculous. I bought a jar and passed it on. We should all do the same.

 

[pargyle]

I’ve tried to do that.
Have I missed any?

I think you beat me to it ... all seems clean and green now !

 

[Beefriendly]

all seems clean and green now !

Apart from all the adulterated honey.....

 

[justsmith]

Do the FSA even trust NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) when it comes to honey testing i thought it only trusted the C4 test.

 

[Goran]

So how does it make sense to sell honey for that price. How do you spell adulterated?

I am affraid it is spelled H-O-N-E-Y, nowadays..

 

[steve1958]

I just want to know where they get their jars and labels from.
They cant be paying much for such packaging at these prices

 

[ericbeaumont]

supermarket honey that I've tasted is best used as a sample when you are selling your own honey alongside it ... the taste test when punters are given the option rarely fails to make a sale. There will always be the odd one who likes the sugary bland sweetness of the average supermarket basic honey but they are few and far between...

Spot on.

Emerging last summer onto the towpath from an apiary in Tottenham I passed two boys; both looked intrigued; I told them it was honey from the hive, and that I was a beekeeper. They agreed to try some (I realised on reflection that this was probably an offer that might get me in the local paper). One boy loved it; the other disagreed. Don't you like honey? I asked. Yes, said the boy. Where does your mum buy honey? Tesco, said the boy. Had to laugh, and hoped he'd remember the difference.

Bulk honey and our honey live on two different planets and they should never be confused, and nor should we ever attempt to compete on price.

 

[Murox]

I see own-brand 'honey' is back on the shelves. ..................Just as I heard suggested a cheap cabernet sauvignon might be useful for stripping pine furniture, what uses can people suggest for Supermarket 'honey'? I will kick off with: making trick or treat sweets.

I suggest flavoured alcohol, perhaps in gin which seems to be making a big comeback just now and if its no good drink it could be sold as paint stripper.