“In thd Field’ has the buzz on phoney honey and expanding potato markets
LETHBRIDGE – Spring is about to arrive and gardeners are already checking garden store in preparation for planting. With spring, bears begin to leave hibernation and that creates some issues for hobby farmers. But, before we touch on the bears, there is an issue that consumers need to be aware of.
If you’re a lover of honey, you may want to make sure that is what’s actually in the containers you buy — or, is it just a sweet substitute.
The Canadian Honey Council has been urging the federal government to ramp up its efforts to inspect imported honey.
Council chair Kevin Nixon says imported, adulterated honey is having a large, negative effect on Canadian producers.
Nixon would like to see the Canadian Food Inspection Agency invest in nuclear magnetic resonance testing, which can detect the sweetener’s composition and place of origin, and create a profile of domestic honey to compare imports against.
The C-F-I-A uses isotope ratio technique to test, but Nixon argues that people diluting honey have learned how to beat those types of inspection methods by incorporating syrup made from other sweateners. Some imported honey is not honey at all. Consumers need to be familiar with their supplier.
More information can be found at the Canadian Bee Council – Natural News OR the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)