January 20, 2010
In an opinion piece published today in the Jackson County Chronicle, Senator Kathleen Vinehout (D) described legislation she introduced to the state Senate establishing a standard for honey in Wisconsin. If passed, the bill would require that food sold as "honey" meets the global standard for honey (pdf). This standard describes what honey is made of, and what it can or can't contain. Vinehout's proposed legislation also allows for injured parties to collect damages and attorneys fees from entities that knowingly violate these standards.
Similar legislation passed in Florida in July 2009, after investigative journalism by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer uncovered a global scheme to move honey from China to the US through various indirect routes. The so-called "honey laundering" severely undercut the price of domestic honey. In 2008 the US imported 231.4 million pounds of honey and US beekeepers produced 160.9 million pounds of honey. This represents a half-billion dollar market that US beekeepers, selling pure honey, are competing for.
In addition to avoiding costly taxes, the laundered Chinese honey was found to be contaminated by antibiotics and sometimes diluted with high fructose corn syrup. Since the US has not adopted a federal standard to define "honey", it is difficult to convict companies that adulterate their product. (The operation covered by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer focused on the tariff-ducking maneuvers of Chinese honey companies and not the contaminants in the product.) Since Federal guidelines are not forthcoming, beekeepers and beekeeping organizations have turned to their states to protect their livelihood and consumers' health.
The Wisconsin bill (SB 419 / AB 575) will cost the state an additional $24,000 if the bill passes, primarily for additional staff. The bill now awaits scheduling for debate in the Senate.
For more info: The Florida Standard for the Identity of Honey (Bee Culture, December 2008)
Comments