Get Your Honey in Florida – State Guarantees No Additives or Chemicals

The FDA was asked to establish standards for honey, but last year said it had too many other pressing issues, maybe peanuts stole the show. BD

Florida has become the first state -- and possibly the first in the world -- to ban additives, chemicals or other substances from honey produced, sold or processed in Florida.

''Too often in the past, honey has been cut with water or sugar, and sometimes even contaminated with insecticides or antibiotics,'' said Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson. ``In the future, when you're paying for honey in this state, pure honey is what you will get.''

The regulations take effect Tuesday.

Under terms of 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. Manufacturers, processors or sellers of these products face ''stop sale'' orders, and repeat offenders would face fines of up to $500 per violation.

Five major honey producers and processors asked the Food and Drug Administration to establish a U.S. standard of identity for honey after a flood of adulterated honey from overseas in 2006. In 2008, the FDA said it would not review the petition because of other pressing matters.