Since there is no legal definition of what real raw honey is, any honey can in theory be labeled as “raw” or “natural”. You need to dig a little deeper and look for certain clues – “unheated”, “unpasteurized” and “unfiltered” are usually very are good indicators of raw honey.
When buying honey, you should also find out about the producer’s take on pesticides. Some raw honey is certified as “pesticide-free” by independent labs – this means that the bees have collected nectar only from flowers that are free from pesticides. The problem is that bees are bees, and it is of no use telling them to keep away from flowers that may contain chemicals, so in practice you will only get such kind of honey if the bees are in very remote areas and all the plants they can reach are not treated with pesticides. As you can imagine, this is a tall order for any honey producer, which makes real pesticide-free raw honey a very rare and valuable commodity. The bottom line on pesticides is that independent certification of pesticide-free status is your best bet if this is important to you.
Some producers use antibiotics and chemicals in the beehive to reduce the chances of disease and infection. Others use natural production methods, which means not adding chemicals, artificial products or antibiotics to the hive. Look out for assurances regarding these, but understand that honey that is produced naturally usually takes more labor, so you need to accept that you will be paying a higher price.
You might see certain labels like “Grade A” and “Grade 1″ which may indicate quality in a very broad sense, but still do not guarantee that you are getting raw honey. Buying genuine raw honey needs a bit of care. Always look for a reputable producer; assurances regarding pesticides and antibiotics; confirmation that the honey is unheated; maybe even those little grains of pollen in the jar. And above all, understand that producing raw honey is expensive, so if it is too cheap or costs a bit more than a supermarket brand, it is unlikely to be the real thing.
We need to give you an important health warning – there are people who are allergic to honey and might react badly when they eat it. If you are concerned about this, consult with your physician and ask for an allergy test before you consume any honey. Some diabetics can eat raw honey without it adversely affecting their blood sugar levels. Nonetheless, if you happen to fall in this category, please make sure to see your physician before consumption, so you could avoid any potential risk of harm. The same advice goes to those who are pregnant or breastfeeding. And last but no least, a general advice is not to give any honey to children under one year old, as any bacteria that might be present in it can affect smaller bodies more seriously.
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