gustav_errata
pfm Member
Man it's exhausting learning about, keeping track of, and avoiding all of the phony junk that's out there.
Man it's exhausting learning about, keeping track of, and avoiding all of the phony junk that's out there.
Cannot see the point of buying from local keepers if you want the best, unless local beekeepers show that their raw honey is cold- filtered, bees are not fed sugar, and bees are many miles away from pesticide contamination.
In addition to Wainrights (importer in North Wales - honey from Zambian wild forests) I also buy Littleover Apiary's honey..lovely stuff that meets all my criteria.
If you want to read more about the matter of fake food - this is a great read.Man it's exhausting learning about, keeping track of, and avoiding all of the phony junk that's out there.
"Forest honey" is frequently adulteratedhoney from Zambian wild forests
"Forest honey" is frequently adulterated
Not adulteration reported here but contamination is nothing new - it looks like Scottish heather honey is a good shout.
Levels of Contamination by Pesticide Residues, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), and 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in Honeys Retailed in Europe
...this study was designed to check for the presence of pesticide residues, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) levels, and the content of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in selected European honeys (26 samples) obtained from shops. The most frequently detected organochlorine pesticide (OCPs) was 4,4’-DDD, which was found in fourteen honey samples. Slovakian rapeseed honey was most polluted due to the presence of eight OCPs. The presence of organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) was detected in all the analysed samples, and at least one OP in each tested sample exceeded the acceptable limit. PAHs were detected in most of the analysed samples. As for PAH4s, benzo[a]pyrene was found in forest honey from Slovakia and in Polish lime tree honey, whereas wild flower honey from the UK contained the highest level of PAH4. The investigated honeys from Spain and France met the requirements for HMF content, while honeys of Slovak, Italian and Polish origin in most cases exceeded the established levels (40 mg/kg).
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00244-022-00970-3
The chemical safety bit is strange. About 8 years ago the food industry had to stop using quat-based disinfectants because they were deemed unacceptable as residues in food. OK. However I can still buy mouthwash based on the same stuff. So it's OK for me to put the stuff in my mouth, with some of it inevitably going down my throat, but I can't use it to wipe down a conveyor belt that I'm going to put meat pies down? It's a good disinfectant too - top tip for things like athlete's foot, cuts and grazes, lash some mouthwash on it if nothing else comes to hand, it works a treat and it's safe.Amazing, we're stuck with the persistent organochlorines but i'd have thought the organophosphates would have mostly been phased out.
Not much news about it in the agric industry apart from outrage every time we lose an active ingredient; major problem is we never know whether this is due to a problem with the chemical or just because no company feels it can profit from reregistration.
The chemical safety bit is strange. About 8 years ago the food industry had to stop using quat-based disinfectants because they were deemed unacceptable as residues in food. OK. However I can still buy mouthwash based on the same stuff. So it's OK for me to put the stuff in my mouth, with some of it inevitably going down my throat, but I can't use it to wipe down a conveyor belt that I'm going to put meat pies down? It's a good disinfectant too - top tip for things like athlete's foot, cuts and grazes, lash some mouthwash on it if nothing else comes to hand, it works a treat and it's safe.
I think that in the case of OC and OP pesticides the difficulty comes from their use in developing countries that don't have the same degree of regulation. They also have different things to consider. DDT for example is banned because of its persistence in the environment and effect on birds, but it IS authorised for mosquito control in malaria zones because it's very effective and there is a human health driver.
who's she?I've got a daughter working in the banana and pineapple trade, often the chemicals banned in EU were pushed harder in developing countries.
Heard a few horror stories about other crops, one of our inspectors was certifying an organic carrot grower in Northern Africa and was greeted by a bunch of kids playing football with pesticide cans. Yields turned out to be 10x anything possible.
DDT is a problem, some have said that Rachel Carson's influence killed about 18 million.
who's she?
Read the report: testing shows it is routinely adulterated with sugar syrup. To be expected, the government is denying there's a problem. Broken Britain strikes again.