An interesting article in the Globe and Mail this morning about the shady world of honey laundering. It talks about how dirty Chinese honey is being mislabeled as Indonesian, Malaysian or Taiwanese so that it can avoid tariffs which have been implemented to protect the US honey industry. I call it 'dirty' honey because Chinese beekeepers use "illegal" antibiotics to keep their hives healthy. Antibiotics that they use contaminates the honey. Then to make matters worse, they mask the off flavours by mixing in cane sugar or corn-based syrups!
These money launderers are running a massive scam which is throwing off the base prices of honey in the United States. There are apparently 15 people and 6 companies from Asia to Germany to the US who are in court in Chicago and Seattle for apparently $80million of unpaid tariffs; let alone the fact that they were illegally importing honey. They have loads of emails and phone correspondence of obvious fraud that they are presenting in court. They are handing out jail sentences and deporting people. The article goes into tons of interesting detail about this massive problem.
This further hits the point home about buying local honey. Not only does it support local beekeepers and the bee population but it also ensures that you are buying high quality pure honey!
Globe and Mail: honey laundering the sour side of natures golden-sweetener/article1859410/
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