Health & Medicine
A Sticky Situation: FDA Cracks Down on Labeling of 'Blended Honey'
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Apr 09, 2014 01:10 PM EDT
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a new guideline that will require companies to label any honey that is not pure. This will also include the labeling of foods with honey that may contain artificial sweeteners or added sugars, according to The Associated Press (AP).
This policy change is the result of such organizations as the American Beekeeping Federation and other honey associations that are currently petitioning against common food industries who may have previously misrepresented "pure honey."
Though honey and sugar relatively share the same amount of calories, according to clinical registered dietitian at the Frances Stern Nutrition center at Tufts Medical Center, raw honey is more nutritious. "But with raw honey you might get more vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties," she said, via boston.com. "Ultimately, though, the way our bodies break down the two is the same."
Pure hone is composed of the sugars glucose and fructose, along with the minerals iron, calcium, sodium chlorine, potassium, phosphate and magnesium--many of which have been credited for containing an anti-inflammatory benefit.
However, let's not forgot, as previously mentioned, that honey and sugar are not so different. Sugar is glucose and fructose--also known as the majority of honey's composition.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that in 2013 alone, U.S. beekeepers produced 149 million pounds of honey-that's more than 7.5 million pounds, according to minnpost.com.
Every year, it's estimated that Americans consume more than 400 million pounds of this sweet stuff. Unfortunately, most of it was unlikely pure honey.
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First Posted: Apr 09, 2014 01:10 PM EDT
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a new guideline that will require companies to label any honey that is not pure. This will also include the labeling of foods with honey that may contain artificial sweeteners or added sugars, according to The Associated Press (AP).
This policy change is the result of such organizations as the American Beekeeping Federation and other honey associations that are currently petitioning against common food industries who may have previously misrepresented "pure honey."
Though honey and sugar relatively share the same amount of calories, according to clinical registered dietitian at the Frances Stern Nutrition center at Tufts Medical Center, raw honey is more nutritious. "But with raw honey you might get more vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties," she said, via boston.com. "Ultimately, though, the way our bodies break down the two is the same."
Pure hone is composed of the sugars glucose and fructose, along with the minerals iron, calcium, sodium chlorine, potassium, phosphate and magnesium--many of which have been credited for containing an anti-inflammatory benefit.
However, let's not forgot, as previously mentioned, that honey and sugar are not so different. Sugar is glucose and fructose--also known as the majority of honey's composition.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that in 2013 alone, U.S. beekeepers produced 149 million pounds of honey-that's more than 7.5 million pounds, according to minnpost.com.
Every year, it's estimated that Americans consume more than 400 million pounds of this sweet stuff. Unfortunately, most of it was unlikely pure honey.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone