Always be weary of labels. The FDA does not regulate every word. For example, "natural" does not really mean anything. It is not regulated. As that article indicated, the term "raw" does not really mean anything either. You really need to have it spelled out in detail, i.e., "100% honey without any additives or processing". Good luck finding that, as anything sold in bulk, distributed across the country, will require some kind of processing/additive to preserve freshness and flavor.  This is why buying local is best for things you really want control over, but get ready to pay for it. Local honey by my is crazy expensive compared to the goo available in a bear shaped squeeze bottle at Walmart (whatever it may be). Like 5x the price. Maple syrup? Forget it. That stuff is like liquid gold....

What I call raw honey is straight off the hive, never touched heat ever.

  Raw honey will crystallize very quickly like within a few months of harvesting it. Most people don’t want to buy a solidified jar of honey.

alaskanassasin said:

What I call raw honey is straight off the hive, never touched heat ever.

  Raw honey will crystallize very quickly like within a few months of harvesting it. Most people don’t want to buy a solidified jar of honey.

  The only way to liquify crystallized honey is to heat it, preferably indirectly.  Honey bee hives are kept at 95 degrees if at all possible by the bees. So theoretically you could heat your honey indirectly to 95 and still claim it is raw.... slippery slope though.  

 The health benefits of honey are lost when it is heated above 95, the hotter it gets the more you lose. That said the hotter you heat honey the longer it will sit on a shelf without crystallizing.   I spoke with a honey processor here who said they “briefly” heat their honey to 170 in order to pump it efficiently. They don’t claim it to be raw or anything but all the health benefits are gone and it will probably shelf for ever without crystallizing. 

 This is challenge for honey processors, obviously they have no choice but to heat the honey they sell in order to make it marketable.

 Currently I store honey in 5 gallon buckets and use a electric bucket blanket that is thermostatically controlled to not exceed 110 degrees. It takes about a week for 5 gallons wrapped in the blanket to liquify so I can jar.

 All that to say your chances of getting what I consider true raw honey are slim unless you keep bees or know a beekeeper and when they plan to harvest.

 I also make raw honey mead ;-) 

what about buying the honey still inside the wax honeycomb? I used to love that and spread it on toast, eating the wax and all.

speed51133 said:

HeavyG said:

speed51133 said:

Always be weary of labels. The FDA does not regulate every word. For example, "natural" does not really mean anything. It is not regulated. As that article indicated, the term "raw" does not really mean anything either. You really need to have it spelled out in detail, i.e., "100% honey without any additives or processing". Good luck finding that, as anything sold in bulk, distributed across the country, will require some kind of processing/additive to preserve freshness and flavor.  This is why buying local is best for things you really want control over, but get ready to pay for it. Local honey by my is crazy expensive compared to the goo available in a bear shaped squeeze bottle at Walmart (whatever it may be). Like 5x the price. Maple syrup? Forget it. That stuff is like liquid gold....

I'm guessing you didn't read the linked article since the Walmart "goo" was the only tested honey free of adulteration:

"The only honey that came back with full marks was the Great Value clover honey I bought from Walmart. The label said it was from the US, Canada, and Argentina; the NMR confirmed that, and didn't find any added sugar or evidence of heating. "

What are you, related to Sam Walton or something? Relax, I was just pulling Walmart as an example. FYI, Walmart is typically not the source for high quality. It is the source for low prices.

dbCooper said:

alaskanassasin said:

What I call raw honey is straight off the hive, never touched heat ever.

  Raw honey will crystallize very quickly like within a few months of harvesting it. Most people don’t want to buy a solidified jar of honey.

  The only way to liquify crystallized honey is to heat it, preferably indirectly.  Honey bee hives are kept at 95 degrees if at all possible by the bees. So theoretically you could heat your honey indirectly to 95 and still claim it is raw.... slippery slope though.  

 The health benefits of honey are lost when it is heated above 95, the hotter it gets the more you lose. That said the hotter you heat honey the longer it will sit on a shelf without crystallizing.   I spoke with a honey processor here who said they “briefly” heat their honey to 170 in order to pump it efficiently. They don’t claim it to be raw or anything but all the health benefits are gone and it will probably shelf for ever without crystallizing. 

 This is challenge for honey processors, obviously they have no choice but to heat the honey they sell in order to make it marketable.

 Currently I store honey in 5 gallon buckets and use a electric bucket blanket that is thermostatically controlled to not exceed 110 degrees. It takes about a week for 5 gallons wrapped in the blanket to liquify so I can jar.

 All that to say your chances of getting what I consider true raw honey are slim unless you keep bees or know a beekeeper and when they plan to harvest.

 I also make raw honey mead ;-) 

Some excellent knowledge in that post.  "Farmers Markets" are plentiful in my area.  They give you the opportunity to talk with the producers and know exactly what you are buying.  For those concerned with such matters, give them a try.

Know what I'm buying on 25th Street, when the market opens!  Thanks.  

https://www.pnas.org/content/115/41/10305

Didn't that study say that glyphospate affects the gut bacteria of bees? It didn't say they found it in honey.