On July 13th, the state of Florida got serious about our honey. As the 4th leading honey-producing state, Florida beekeepers were seeing what I would call unfair competition from overseas. Honey was being sent to Florida (and other places) with additives and calling the product pure honey. This was not fair to people selling pure honey.

Five major honey producers and processors approached the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2006 asking for a U.S. standard of identity for honey. The FDA did not take up the cause "due to other more pressing matters".

So, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services stepped in. Under the new regulation, honey containing anything other than the "natural food product resulting from the harvest of nectar by honeybees" is considered an adulterated or mislabeled product.

Florida is the first in our nation and possibly the world to have such a regulation on honey. Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson says 28 others states are now considering it and hopefully the USDA and the FDA will get involved, too. The regulation went into effect on July 14, 2009.

The USDA allows for up to 18.6% of added water to honey for it still be classified as grade A. Honey is one of nature’s perfect foods as it does not spoil and you can store it almost indefinitely without additives or preservatives.

If you like honey, rest assured you will get pure honey in Florida.

Read more at: http://bit.ly/Florida_Honey