Organic Honey. The claims vs the truth

[Understudy]

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/394198_honey31.asp

This definitely going to make the conference interesting.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

[JP]

Call me pessimistic but I have trouble believing anything grown or harvested outside today, anywhere is 100% organic.


...JP

[KONASDAD]

Call me pessimistic but I have trouble believing anything grown or harvested outside today, anywhere is 100% organic.


...JP

Depends how you define "organic." From one extreme, in which anything provided by people is not organic to using anything that is non-synthetic at the other end of the spectrum. I wont use sythetics, and am trying to avoid chems of any variety but will use apaguard or formic acid to save a hive if sugar shakes etc fail. Some think sugar shakes and feeding are not organic....

[annette]

Interesting that this article contradicts the other article posted in the forum. This article says "Pure Foods" can trace back exactly where the honey came from (Argentina) the other article on the forum busted Pure foods.

"Mike Ingalls, president of Pure Foods Inc. in Sultan, recently stood beside a stack of brown steel drums in his warehouse. It's all marked "Organic Honey" and "Product of Argentina" -- and each drum carries a sticker with a tracking number.

"I can use that number to track the honey back to the supplier in Argentina and the specific beehives in latitude and longitude and degrees, minutes and seconds," he said, "so I can plot precisely where those hives were, and that they were at least six miles away from any cultivated crop."

Now this article

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/394053_honey30.asp

I guess I am very naive and believed the organic honey labels, since this is what I buy. So sad

[Understudy]

Call me pessimistic but I have trouble believing anything grown or harvested outside today, anywhere is 100% organic.


...JP

Depends how you define "organic." From one extreme, in which anything provided by people is not organic to using anything that is non-synthetic at the other end of the spectrum. I wont use sythetics, and am trying to avoid chems of any variety but will use apaguard or formic acid to save a hive if sugar shakes etc fail. Some think sugar shakes and feeding are not organic....

What I found unpleasant is there is suppose to be a recognized standard for the USDA to label honey organic. It seems like people are just running roughshod over loopholes and lack of manpower.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

[oldenglish]

Interesting that this article contradicts the other article posted in the forum. This article says "Pure Foods" can trace back exactly where the honey came from (Argentina) the other article on the forum busted Pure foods.

"Mike Ingalls, president of Pure Foods Inc. in Sultan, recently stood beside a stack of brown steel drums in his warehouse. It's all marked "Organic Honey" and "Product of Argentina" -- and each drum carries a sticker with a tracking number.

"I can use that number to track the honey back to the supplier in Argentina and the specific beehives in latitude and longitude and degrees, minutes and seconds," he said, "so I can plot precisely where those hives were, and that they were at least six miles away from any cultivated crop."

Now this article

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/394053_honey30.asp

I guess I am very naive and believed the organic honey labels, since this is what I buy. So sad

I was supprised the article did not grill pure foods on this statement, I think the series in the PI did a pretty good job of showing that,
a) you cannot guarantee which country the honey is from, let alone which hive.
b) Many if not all bulk packers will do whatever it takes to increase the profit margin

I also heard from a local respected beek, that the guy at pure foods has been keeping a low profile since the raid.