Xmas competition - uses for Supermarket 'honey'

[thorn]

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

Where did you find it and what information on its provenance is given?

 

[alfazer]

The price is shockingly low, but do bear in mind that supermarkets will price some products very low to hit the magic £1 figure, even it makes a loss. They might be using it as a promotional item to increase footfall, but then have other products selling for a £1 that are worth a lot less.

By the way, I'm sure its been mentioned here before but if you haven't seen it yet, look for the honey episode in Netflix' "Rotten" documentary series about food corruption.

 

[Anduril]

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

Yes have a look at the name on the jpeg at the bottom of the first post

 

[Anduril]

Where did you find it and what information on its provenance is given?

It is easy to find using Internet search and it is packed in the UK.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes have a look at the name on the jpeg at the bottom of the first post

Thanks.
Didn’t spot that

 

[Amari]

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.
.

A lovely lady with learning difficulties lives almost opposite my honey sales box on the grass verge. We have offered her a jar of honey as a gift on more than one occasion. She is always consistent in her reply: 'No thanks, I like the honey from Tesco best'

 

[Michael Palmer]

No accounting for taste. I once sold some honey to an older gent. Afterward, he told me he liked my honey okay, but liked Philip Spooner's honey better. Philip was an old timer who really couldn't do the bee work necessary. So, who do you think sold Philip the honey he sold to the old timer?

 

[viridens]

£1 Honey is a sweet spread that people like and are used to. I was observing at a honey tasting at the Bath & West show this year. It was clear that many were so used to the supermarket product that they were surprised by real honey flavours and some did not like them.

Anyhow, surely it is due diligence for a supermarket to confirm that their honey is just that? I'm sue that consumer protection law e.g. Trades Description act "...prevents manufacturers, retailers or service industry providers from misleading consumers as to what they are spending their money on".) also applies here.

This has the makings of another can of worms story like the horsemeat, green chicken, and diesel car emissions sagas.

 

[masterBK]

Many decades ago I was stewarding at a major honeyshow and the judge tasted one of the exhibits and winced. I asked him about it and he said it was lime honey and he didn't like lime honey. However after he had gone through all the entries, he awarded it first prize and later best in show. I asked him why he did that and he said it was a superb entry and that he didn't let personal taste preferences cloud his judgement. He has long since passed on but I still regard him as one of the best to emulate (and as a judge myself I have worked alongside dozens of them over the years )

 

[Hachi]

£1 Honey is a sweet spread that people like and are used to. I was observing at a honey tasting at the Bath & West show this year. It was clear that many were so used to the supermarket product that they were surprised by real honey flavours and some did not like them.

Anyhow, surely it is due diligence for a supermarket to confirm that their honey is just that? I'm sue that consumer protection law e.g. Trades Description act "...prevents manufacturers, retailers or service industry providers from misleading consumers as to what they are spending their money on".) also applies here.

This has the makings of another can of worms story like the horsemeat, green chicken, and diesel car emissions sagas.

I don't believe they knowingly mislead anyone, one of the big UK names has I understand, fallen foul of this deception.

Its not easy to spot

 

[Ian123]

I don't believe they knowingly mislead anyone, one of the big UK names has I understand, fallen foul of this deception.

Its not easy to spot

Care to share!!

 

[Martinreed]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-50551385
When the honey was available again I contacted both Tesco's and the Food Crime Unit.
The FCU didn't reply but I got this from Tesco

Thank you for your email. Your query has been passed to me by the FSA helpline for a response.
Regarding Tesco own brand set honey, we have reviewed all the available evidence regarding the authenticity of this honey. This includes extensive traceability records and the results of testing carried out during production. We are satisfied that no further action needs to be taken at this stage.

Rowse also pride themselves on 'traceability' and their reply to me was:-

Please be assured that all our honey complies with the honey regulations, we do keep records of what we buy and where from, however this is always changing due to seasonal variation, these include Australia, Asia, New Zealand, South America and Europe. We have full traceability.
China is one of the largest honey producers in the world, as they have plenty of rural land for good beekeeping. We work with a restricted number of carefully audited and selected suppliers who have adopted our stringent regime of testing on our behalf prior to shipment. We regularly visit our suppliers out in China and can certify that standards are consistently good. Any Chinese factory that exports honey to the UK has to be specifically authorised by the Chinese Government to do so, and every load leaving the country requires a certificate from the Chinese authorities to assure its quality. It is then checked again by us on arrival in UK.

They have, so far, refused to say how much Chinese honey is in their 'non EU honey'

 

[Chiangmai member]

A few years ago my daughter purchased some 'honey' at an airport in Indonesia, as a present. Upon tasting it, I had to comment..."well that's the closest it got to anything that flies" Happy New Year everyone.

 

[For want of a better word]

A few years ago my daughter purchased some 'honey' at an airport in Indonesia, as a present. Upon tasting it, I had to comment..."well that's the closest it got to anything that flies" Happy New Year everyone.

Surprised they allowed it onto the aircraft!

 

[thorn]

Surprised they allowed it onto the aircraft!

In many international airports you can buy honey in the shops once you've gone through security. But if you've bought it before security it must go in your hold luggage.
It wasn't honey, but cheese that I once had confiscated at Charles de Gaulle. I could see their point. It could have been explosive. But did the fact that it was lunchtime have any bearing on the decision?

 

[Erichalfbee]

In many international airports you can buy honey in the shops once you've gone through security. But if you've bought it before security it must go in your hold luggage.
It wasn't honey, but cheese that I once had confiscated at Charles de Gaulle. I could see their point. It could have been explosive. But did the fact that it was lunchtime have any bearing on the decision?

On a walking/climbing holiday I had some new carabiners clipped onto my cabin rucksack. They were confiscated in case I broke into the flight deck and decked the pilot! I had gone through Heathrow no problem. French security suspected they might be knuckle dusters. Talking of cheese, I was really cheesed off. They were expensive.

 

[Murox]

In many international airports you can buy honey in the shops once you've gone through security. But if you've bought it before security it must go in your hold luggage.
It wasn't honey, but cheese that I once had confiscated at Charles de Gaulle. I could see their point. It could have been explosive. But did the fact that it was lunchtime have any bearing on the decision?

Ah-ha, the french have always been - well - zealots when comes to cheese!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

On a walking/climbing holiday I had some new carabiners clipped onto my cabin rucksack. They were confiscated in case I broke into the flight deck and decked the pilot! I had gone through Heathrow no problem. French security suspected they might be knuckle dusters.

Once, on a 'rush job' to join the boat which had been rerouted to Stornoway, I checked through security at Bristol (dreadful airport at the best of times) having forgotten to transfer my handcuffs from briefcase to hold baggage, the lad in security was insistent he was going to take them off me as I could cause damage to someone with them, luckily (for him) his supervisor who had been around the block a few times, saw my commission in it's case tucked in another briefcase pocket, leant over and whispered in his ear that the damage may be to his 'career' and if he didn't walk away he may end up wearing them himself

 

[Erichalfbee]

Bristol Airport sucks! You can’t even get there by train and by car us a nightmare. Stan and I fly to Berlin from there and we have to overnight one way or another with the stupid flight times.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Bristol Airport sucks! You can’t even get there by train and by car us a nightmare. Stan and I fly to Berlin from there and we have to overnight one way or another with the stupid flight times.

It's awful - have to fly from there in February for the Ulster Beekeeper's convention, it meant an extra night away that I decided to have in Antrim . It's not just accessibility - having flown or worked from most airports in the UK their security staff/system is by far the worse.
Recall another time in Lulsgate, SWMBO and I were flying to Krakov and the little old Polish lady next to us was pulled up because there was a 'gun' in a toy set she was taking back for her grandson (it was a toy soldier set and the gun was a cheap stamped out plastic AK47 about the size of a matchstick) the lady had very little English and one of the security staff suggested calling one of the Polish cleaners over to translate. 'No need!' said this rather puffed up security operative who wore his shoulder tabs like an Admiral's epaulettes 'I can handle this' he then glowered menacingly at this lady, waved his hands over the toys with a negative sweeping gesture, raised his voice and slowly enunciated

"NO..........GUNSO........ALLOWEDO"​

SWMBO quickly dragged me away