Raw honey. Organic honey. Pure honey. Active honey. Manuka honey... all these labels are confusing to most people.
What is Raw Honey?
Raw honey is honey that has not been pasteurized (heat treated) above 45C and has not had its pollen filtered out.
It can crystallises quickly due to its high pollen content and course filtering.
Supermarkets generally don’t sell raw honey because it crystallises quickly. When honey begins to crystallise, unaware consumers can be reluctant to purchase but it is still a great product its just doing what it naturally does.
What Is Organic Honey?
Organic honey is honey that is free of chemicals and antibiotics and has been harvested on organic accredited land.
Organic honey has been independently certified to come from a bee hive that is 5 to 8 miles away from the nearest artificial chemical source, i.e. roads, factories, houses, etc.
This is why no honey produced in the UK is organic, because we don’t have any locations big enough for the organic radius required. If you are purchasing organic honey check the label to see where it has been sourced from.
It is illegal to sell or market a honey as "organic" if it has not been certified by a government approved organic control body.
If a honey labelled as "organic" does not have the code of the certifier, e.g. GB-ORG-04, DE-OKO-001, etc. on the label, then it is not organic.
Is Raw Honey And Organic Honey The Same Thing?
Raw means not pasteurized or filtered. Organic means certified free of chemicals.
Honey can be Raw and Organic
For example, honey produced by a local English beekeeper is raw but not organic, and organic honey sold in a supermarket is organic but more than likely has been pasteurized and is no longer raw honey.
What Is Pure Honey?
Pure honey is simply honey to which no ingredient has been added. "Pure honey" does not mean it is raw or organic.
For example, "honey with ginger" or "honey with black seed" is not "pure honey" because an ingredient has been added to the honey.
Pure honey can be pasteurized.
Pure honey may sound appealing but does not mean the honey is raw or organic.
What Is Active Honey?
Active honey is honey that has been independently certified by a food testing laboratory to have antibacterial "activity."
It is normally expressed as a number on the label, e.g. 5+, 10+, 15+, etc.
One way of understanding activity in honeys is like "bacteria killing power." The higher the number, the higher the bacteria killing power of the honey.
All honeys possess some antibacterial activity, but only honeys with an activity rating of at least 10+ are considered to be beneficial to humans.
Manuka is the most common honey marketed with an activity rating.
What Is Manuka Honey?
Manuka honey is a type of honey that comes from bees feeding on the manuka bush in New Zealand.
It is good honey but many people believe it is overpriced and over-exaggerated. There is a lot of fake manuka honey on the market.
It is very difficult to buy genuine manuka honey.
For example, the annual global production of manuka honey is 1700 tons per year. Yet over 50,000 tons of manuka honey is sold globally every year. In Britain alone, 5000 tons of manuka honey is sold every year.
What Honey Is The Best?
It is always best to buy local honey from your friendly beekeeper. Not only are you supporting a local business you are also supporting all the bees he looks after.
Buy raw honey whenever possible.
Avoid supermarket honey if possible. Most supermarket honey has been pasteurized (heat-treated) in a process that kills its beneficial living nutrients.