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Honey is the beekeeper's main product. It is a complex association of many kinds of substances and defies definition. Mostly, of course, it is composed of sugars. Honey is a forgiving substance. It can take a lot of abuse during handling and still be a suitable product for the consumer. Microorganisms are usually killed when in honey. Only bacterial spores can withstand the large osmotic pressures the sweet produces.

A major problem with honey continues to be adulteration. Economic adulteration occurs when less expensive substances are added to honey to reduce the producer's costs. Other contamination can also occur for a number of reasons, including air and water pollution and use of antibiotics and/or pesticides in the beekeeping operation. Honey will not spoil, but can ferment if the moisture content is too high (over 18.6 percent). Thus, a major production problem is keeping moisture to a minimum, especially in tropical climates, like found in most of Florida.

The largest honey consumers are the European nations. Less than a pound per year is consumed by U.S. users. Promotion and marketing are, therefore, extremely important especially on the domestic scene. Fortunately, there exists the National Honey Board, which the beekeeping industry in its wisdom continues to support.

International Honey Trade Barriers, November 2000.

Study: Honey can help your workout, August 2000.

Honey and healing; not all honey may be therapeutic, August 2000.

Honey not included in national organic standards, April 2000.

HAACP and quality assurance, April 2000.

Organic acids, essential oils and taste, January 2000.

Are value-added products for you?, January 2000.

Is honey special enough? Rationale for NHB quality assurance proposal, November 2000.

Economic adulteration survey by Dr. Fairchild, funded by National Honey Board, October 1999.

Honey House Sanitation: Importance to Food Manufacturing, June 1999.

Brazilian honey shortage, April 1999.

Brazilian honey shortage, April 1999.

Honey loan program, April 1999.

Marketing changes due to global situation examined, April 1999.

Honey production and historical analysis, April 1999.

Honey and grapefruit promotion connnection, January 1999.

Large-scale adulteration: honey analog, December 1998.

Darker honey is better because of antioxidants, September 1998.

Validation of SCIRA for worldwide application in honey adulteration, September 1998.

Comments on organic honey regulations, June 1998.

Economic Adulteration Continues, October 1997

Economic Adulteration Continues, October 1997

"Fresh From Florida" Marketing Campaign, October 1997

Marketing Honey as a Value-Added Product, October 1997.

Honey Promotion: A Neglected Activity?, August 1997.

Organic honey issues in Europe, May 1997.

Rising honey prices as reported from Canada, June 1996.

Discussion of what higher honey prices mean, May 1996.

1995 Honey production statistics, March 1996.

Florida Department of Agriculture examines honey adulteration, March 1996.

Organic honey issues discussed, February 1996.

Discussion of honey quality in tropics; European honey quality concerns vs U.S., January 1996.

Further discussion on small business food labelling, November 1994.

Discussion of small business honey labelling, October 1994.

Honey adulteration on the rise, August 1994.

Permitting honey houses in Florida, regulations per Fl Statute 500.12, August 1994.

Honey hotline of National Honey Board; honey research results, April 1994.

National Honey Board defines honey, November 1993.

Too frequent honey removal damages the crop? May 1993.

National Honey Board releases new information on labelling honey, April 1993.

Antibiotic properties of manuka honey in New Zealand, October 1992.

Export hotline available; honey and other products, September 1992.

Pride in honey program, National Honey Board, August 1992.

Managing crises in beekeeping, August 1992.

Freshness of honey studied; European concerns of honey quality in export market, June 1992.

Analysis of organic labeling efforts in Florida, July 1991.

Spotlight on Florida's Tropical Blossom Honey Co., July 1991.

Discussion of Florida's Organic Food Law, June 1991.

Report of honey farming operation in Florida. Never confirmed, November 1990.

Information on Natinla Honey Board's crisis contamination program, September 1990.

Food safety as a priority topic, September 1990.

Honey contamination incident using fluvalinate, August 1990.

Sulpa residues potential in honey, May 1990.

Honey judging in Italy. Piana Prize, September 1989.

Discussion on pricing your honey product, June 1989.

Discussion of bar coding products (and bees?), May 1989.

Discussion of honey exporting, October 1988.

A technique to dry honey, September 1988.

Using the Atago® honey refractometer, September 1988.

Historical analysis of international honey marketing, July 1988.

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© 1997 M.T. Sanford, "All Rights Reserved"