“Honey Laundering” Leads to Legal Definition of Honey

Wednesday, 02 March 2011 | by Pat's Picks

What is honey? Something you squeeze in your tea, right? Well, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle says it’s a little more complicated than that. New York state legislators have drafted a bill to legally define what is and what isn’t honey. It’s an attempt to stop Chinese producers from “honey laundering.” Yes, that’s actually what it’s called when honey is ferreted into this country with false labels to get around US tariff laws. Another trick US producers hope the labeling law would prevent is the addition of other liquids—things like high fructose corn syrup—into products sold as honey.