Investigating Food Fraud in the Honey Industry
Thought LeadersRon PhippsVice PresidentApimondia Scientific Commission on Beekeeping Economy
With a growing focus on healthy eating, the demand for honey has been increasing. Producers of genuine honey cannot compete with the fraudsters since their honeys are continually being undercut by cheap imitations.
In this interview, News-Medical talks to Ron Phipps about food fraud within the honey industry and the methods for investigating it.
Can you give us an overview of food fraud and why it is such an issue for honey production?
Food fraud has devastating consequences, particularly in the field of honey production, which the U.S. Pharmacopeia has classified as the third largest area of adulteration in the current era. Our aim is to find solutions to solve this problem and prevent its recurrence.
Ever since I was a kid, March has always been a month of great anticipation for me of that first stream trout stocking. Both the Tonto Creek and Canyon Creek hatcheries are busy getting the fish ready for their first delivery to Rim Country and White Mountain waters in about a month.
One of my favorite pre-COVID activities was to take my grandkids up to the Tonto Creek Fish Hatchery to look at the trout in the raceways, and throw food pellets to the giant trout in their display pond. Hopefully, we will return to those days soon. Kids love it, as do out-of-town visitors and just about any angler I know.