Article: Tainted Chinese Honey May Be on U.S. Store Shelves

excerpts via Time Healthland:

"Millions of pounds of tainted Chinese honey are likely making their way onto U.S. store shelves, according to an investigation by Food Safety News (FSN). The online daily news site reports that Chinese honeymakers are laundering their products through other Asian nations, including India, Vietnam and Malaysia, in order to smuggle it into the U.S.
The ploy is a way to get around paying the steep tariffs — up to $1.20 per pound — that the U.S. has imposed on cheap Chinese honey, FSN's Andrew Schneider reports. The scheme is being aided by American importers and lax enforcement by the Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA)"

"What's wrong with honey from China? For one thing, it may contain lead, a toxin that accumulates in the body and can cause neurological damage, particularly in young children. The lead contamination has been traced back to the thousands of small beekeeping operations in China that use unlined, lead-soldered drums to collect and store honey before transferring it to processors.

Further, FSN reports, Chinese honey may contain tiny amounts of an antibiotic known as chloramphenicol, which was used in the early 2000s to thwart a bacterial epidemic that was killing tens of millions of bees. The FDA has banned the presence of the drug in food; even in small amounts, it can cause a severe or fatal reaction in about 1 out of 30,000 people."

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2011/08/22/tainted-chinese-honey-may-be-on-u-s-store-shelves/

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