How To Know Whether You’re Buying Real Or Fake Honey

#1

Without distinguishing the difference between pure and fake honey, you will end up buying bad products. There are a lot of adulteration of honey, which makes it not real yet sold as the real thing. In 2001, the American FTC imposed stiff tariffs on what we know as Chinese honey as an aftermath of the scandals to do with cheap adulterated Chinese honey on American food markets. So, what is pure honey?

#2 What is Pure, Real Honey?

As you would expect, real honey should not come from a factory but from bees. The most common references to real and pure honey are organic and natural honey. It is not an easy task to know that this or that is fake or real. You will need tests to distinguish between the two since it has been found out that most of products you see in stores are not really the organic product you are looking for.

A searing investigation of the honey market by Food Safety News found that 76% of all honey bought at grocery stores were treated with a process called "ultra-filtration," which removes not only impurities like wax, but also all traces of pollen. And of the types of brands at grocery stores, the ones that were far-and-away the most likely to be ultra-filtered were generic brands.

Those "impurities" that ultra-filtration takes out of honey are actually what make honey so good for us. When you hear about honey as a home remedy, for example, the honey that you'd want to use should not have gone through ultra-filtration. You're looking for truly raw honey.

One ounce of raw honey contains approximately 20 vitamins, 18 amino acids, 16 minerals, and a ton of antioxidants and phytonutrients. Raw honey is an antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal substance. It is also highly nutritious. It contains significant amounts of B2, B3, B5, B6, C, magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium chlorine, sulphur, and phosphate.

So when you're buying honey, how do you know you're getting the real stuff? The best way to make sure is to buy your honey from farmers' markets and/or natural food stores (like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods). According to Food Safety News, few, if any honeys sold at these places have been subject to ultra-filtration.

#3 How to Test Purity of Honey

Check the Purity of Honey at Home

Thumb Test:

-Put a small drop of the honey you have on your thumb

-Check to see if it spills or spreads around

-If it does, it is not pure

-Pure honey will stay intact on your thumb.

The Water Test to Spot Fake Honey:

-Fill a glass with water

-Add one tablespoon of honey into the glass

-Adulterated or artificial honey will dissolve in water and you will see it around the glass

-Pure honey on the other hand will settle right at the bottom of your glass

The Flame Test to Know Pure Honey:

-Take a dry matchstick

-Dip its tip right into the honey

-Strike the stick on the matchbox as if to light it

-If the honey is pure, the matchstick will light with ease

-The flame will also keep burning off the honey

However, if it is with impurities, it will not light because fake honey contains moisture as one of the impurities

#4 Don’t Be Afraid To Buy Honey

Really, there is no need to be afraid to buy honey. Like like so many other products, exercise care when searching for honey. The benefits of honey are incredible, and it's really sad that unscrupulous people are making it hard to identify the real deal. Fake honey from China should not deter you from locating the best honey. But, it can be done, and with a little knowledge and care, you won't have a problem finding a delicious, health-packed jar