Organic, Raw, or Unfiltered?
How to Read Honey Labels
When purchasing honey, you will see a variety of descriptions and labels - we wanted to provide you with an understanding of what they all mean so you can make an informed choice. For context, Chelsea Bear Honey is all natural, pure, raw, and unfiltered.
Pure Honey: ‘Pure’ honey means that you are buying 100% honey with no additional ingredients added. Some honey producers will add antibiotics, or top up the honey with corn syrup, water, or chemical sweeteners to reduce the amount of actual honey. This ‘honey laundering’ reduces costs and lowers prices, but the end result is a very questionable product.
Raw Honey: In addition to being pure, ‘raw’ honey has not been heated to the point of pasteurization (118 degrees Fahrenheit). By keeping the honey below these temperatures, the natural state of the enzymes, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals are preserved, and you get the full health benefits of honey. Beekeepers who produce raw honey are very aware that the health of their hives has a big impact on the honey - and you can generally expect that their beekeeping practices are more environmentally friendly.
Organic/All Natural Honey: Organic honey is produced from the nectar of organically grown plants, and without any synthetic chemical treatments to the hive. Honey bees can fly up to 6 miles to forage for food, which means that all the plants within this 6 mile radius must be certified organic. As you can imagine, this can be extremely difficult to control and requires an organic farm of over 110 square miles! All natural honey is raw honey made by bees which have not been treated with any synthetic chemicals. While you will find a ‘USDA organic’ certification on some brands of honey, there are no USDA organic standards for honey produced in the US. Most of the ‘certified organic' honey available in the United States is imported in large quantities from Brazil or other foreign countries and undergoes pasteurization and heavy filtration. The USDA permits organic labeling for honey that meets the organic standards of the origin country (and the origin country must always be listed).
Unfiltered Honey: Filtering the honey means that the honey is heated to a high temperature, and processed to remove the tiniest particles, including pollen. While this increases the clarity of the honey, both the heating and the filtering can degrade or completely remove a lot of the beneficial and healthy components of honey. Straining is not the same as filtering - most honey is strained to remove wax, bee parts, or large debris from the hive.
Honey Grading: According to the USDA, honey does not require official inspection in order to carry official USDA grade marks. If you see ‘Grade A’ honey on the label, it is an assessment of honey clarity, taste and appearance as judged by the producer based on USDA guidelines — it does not consider if chemicals have been added or if the honey has been heated for filtration.
Varietal or honey type: Honey labels can share information on the type of flower or plant from which the bees collect the nectar to make the honey. Different blossoms will product different taste profiles. If you’re not in search of a specific type of honey, consider buying from a local beekeeper. Small batch honey produced in your area will often be the result of a beekeeper who started as a hobbyist, and has a vested interest in the health of their bees and the environment. In addition, the pollination their bees provide contributes to the livelihood of the local food/farm community.
Chelsea Bear Honey is pure, raw, and unfiltered. We treat our hives once or twice a year with all natural, biodegradable, and residue free pest control to keep our hives and honey bees healthy, and never while there are honey supers on the hive. And we don’t own a 110 square mile organic farm 🙂.