Honey-Laundering
As though there aren't enough other types of prohibited goods and substances for international criminals to busy themselves smuggling as contraband into unwary countries for their consumers to use, innocent of their derivation and possible contamination, honey now joins the list. An investigation recently concluded in the United States has revealed that a scam is taking place whereby honey produced in China is being smuggled into Europe and the United States under the guise of a product that emanates elsewhere, from less problematical sources.
Most countries were fairly well self-sufficient in honey-bee production of that valuable edible substance beloved by all, but since the catastrophe that has befallen many areas in North America with the phenomenon of colony collapse disorder, producers of the finished product, and bakeries which use honey in their products have had to look elsewhere for enough honey to make up the slack. Consumers, and the federal consumer protection agencies that ensure food safety, would like to be assured that what they consume is safe.
Food products, as well as hygienic products produced in China have come under increasing suspicion and scrutiny since it has been widely revealed in one food-tampering scandal after another that lax oversight and greed has resulted in dangerous chemicals finding their way into products of Chinese manufacture. In the case of honey coming from China, and imported in bulk, it was often used by producers in the importing countries to mix with their own product, as filler.
That practise came to a screeching halt when it was revealed that about a decade ago China had a problem with beehives that were destroyed by a pervasive bacterial infection. Those hives should have been destroyed but instead beekeepers used a toxic antibiotic linked by health authorities around the world to aplastic anemia, a serious blood disorder, to attack the bacterial infection. This was not the only chemical discovered in Chinese honey; other human-health-averse antibiotics were found in blends of honey syrup from China as well.
Even though China has since officially outlawed the use of these chemicals, it's clear that honey coming out of that country is still tainted as beekeepers continue to use the now-banned substances. So drums of honey are being sold out of China, to distributors in other parts of the world, where they're re-packaged and re-exported under the guise of honey emanating from those third-party sources. Shipments have been routed through India, Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia and Thailand, by enterprising marketers, making their way eventually to other parts of the world.
They're marked as being products of countries whose output has proven to be safe and acceptable. By cloaking their true origins, the marketers plan to avoid health and safety checks, and to avoid as well paying hefty import fees and other applicable tariffs imposed on Chinese food products deemed to have been 'dumped' on the market below cost of production in the importing countries. The United States is one of the world's largest honey consumers, with the industry worth about $2-billion annually.
There are always ways and means whereby unscrupulous and money-hungry entrepreneurs manage to evade regulatory protection to sneak contraband of one kind or another into the homes of trusting consumers. Anyone for a big dollop of honey on that toast?
Most countries were fairly well self-sufficient in honey-bee production of that valuable edible substance beloved by all, but since the catastrophe that has befallen many areas in North America with the phenomenon of colony collapse disorder, producers of the finished product, and bakeries which use honey in their products have had to look elsewhere for enough honey to make up the slack. Consumers, and the federal consumer protection agencies that ensure food safety, would like to be assured that what they consume is safe.
Food products, as well as hygienic products produced in China have come under increasing suspicion and scrutiny since it has been widely revealed in one food-tampering scandal after another that lax oversight and greed has resulted in dangerous chemicals finding their way into products of Chinese manufacture. In the case of honey coming from China, and imported in bulk, it was often used by producers in the importing countries to mix with their own product, as filler.
That practise came to a screeching halt when it was revealed that about a decade ago China had a problem with beehives that were destroyed by a pervasive bacterial infection. Those hives should have been destroyed but instead beekeepers used a toxic antibiotic linked by health authorities around the world to aplastic anemia, a serious blood disorder, to attack the bacterial infection. This was not the only chemical discovered in Chinese honey; other human-health-averse antibiotics were found in blends of honey syrup from China as well.
Even though China has since officially outlawed the use of these chemicals, it's clear that honey coming out of that country is still tainted as beekeepers continue to use the now-banned substances. So drums of honey are being sold out of China, to distributors in other parts of the world, where they're re-packaged and re-exported under the guise of honey emanating from those third-party sources. Shipments have been routed through India, Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia and Thailand, by enterprising marketers, making their way eventually to other parts of the world.
They're marked as being products of countries whose output has proven to be safe and acceptable. By cloaking their true origins, the marketers plan to avoid health and safety checks, and to avoid as well paying hefty import fees and other applicable tariffs imposed on Chinese food products deemed to have been 'dumped' on the market below cost of production in the importing countries. The United States is one of the world's largest honey consumers, with the industry worth about $2-billion annually.
There are always ways and means whereby unscrupulous and money-hungry entrepreneurs manage to evade regulatory protection to sneak contraband of one kind or another into the homes of trusting consumers. Anyone for a big dollop of honey on that toast?
posted by Pieface @ 5:43 PM
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