U.S. Honey Laundering Epidemic Remains Unchecked

By Mike Rozembajgier

A recent Food Safety News report detailed allegations that large amounts of potentially unsafe honey are being smuggled into the United States from China by some of the nation’s largest honey packers.  This Chinese honey, banned outright in Europe, continues to flow into the United States, with one estimate putting the total at 123 million pounds—sixty percent of all the imported honey in the United States—over the last eighteen months.  Sixty-five percent of all honey in the United States is used in prepackaged foods, such as cereals, sauces and beverages. So this flood of unsafe honey could lead to a massive recall affecting numerous segments of the food industry.

There are a number of issues involved with this rampant smuggling of honey from China, but one of the most troubling is the limited concern that American honey packers and their buyers seem to have for country of origin standards.  Chinese honey is unsafe because of the presence of lead and certain animal antibiotics that can be harmful if ingested by humans.  Among those banned antibiotics is chloramphenicol, a known carcinogen that can damage DNA.

According to honey industry experts, honey smuggling is driven by profit.  Smuggled honey from China—even if it is shipped through a third destination such as India to avoid detection by the FDA—can be much cheaper than honey from other countries, particularly if the high government tariffs on Chinese honey are avoided.  To mask the origin of export, most Chinese honey is represented as coming from India.  The European Union has already banned Indian honey shipments as a precaution.  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to take similar action.

This widespread honey laundering epidemic is one of the best examples yet of the need for manufacturers and retailers to keep a close eye on their suppliers. It is critical that companies make the extra effort to ensure that imported goods are not subject to potential smuggling or false documentation.

All food manufacturers need to carefully select their ingredients to ensure quality, safety and proper country of origin, even when buying from American-owned suppliers.  The presence of unsafe honey may not be their fault, but the fallout could severely cripple their companies.

The FDA has yet to take serious action on honey laundering, saying that the long-awaited implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act should give it more resources to test and check imported honey.  At the moment, there is little evidence that the FDA will take the bold steps already implemented by its European counterparts.  This leaves it up to American companies to ensure consumer safety – and protect their own interests – by carefully following strong import protocols when purchasing their honey.

Stericycle ExpertRECALL™ is the industry leader in recall logistics and regulatory compliance for consumer product, pharmaceutical, medical device, juvenile product, and food and beverage recalls. ExpertRECALL’s professionals are experts in recall management who can help you streamline the entire product recall process.