Pardon the pun, but ‘raw’ and ‘organic’ are the buzz words on the lips of many a honey producer and consumer today. Attempting to eat well and making healthy choices can be confusing when trying to understand what is truly good for us, so let’s explore what they are and how they can benefit us.
What is raw honey?
Raw honey means it hasn’t been heated past the point of pasteurization. The temperature of honey within the hive is around 95’ Fahrenheit so raw honey retains its temperature and its nutritional qualities, the enzymes and the honey are active and alive. Honey that is classified as raw is not allowed to be pasteurized or processed. Texture wise, if you see honey that is cloudy, gritty or even lumpy then this type of raw honey has been carried from the hive pollen, honeycomb, beeswax and you might even see bits of bees. Don’t be put off as this is carrying even more of the benefits of the hive. Be wary of supermarket honeys carrying the label, ‘natural’ or ‘pure’, this doesn’t always mean it is raw. Commercial honeys sometimes have added sugar, water and flavourings.
What is organic honey?
Where raw honey is about the temperature and the texture, organic honey is about the flowers the bees collect their nectar from and knowing they are chemical free. Generally, beekeepers must ensure that the flowers within 3 to 5 miles of their hive are not sprayed in order to gain the organic label. The problem is that some bees might fly much further, so it’s difficult for beekeepers to guarantee that their honey is completely organic.
4 reasons you can’t guarantee your honey is organic
- Bees are furry, which is useful for pollen collection and also means their bodies readily gather all sorts of environmental particles. Any agrochemical applied anywhere within a colony's extensive reach can end up back in the hive.
- Beekeepers don't own the tens of thousands of acres surrounding their hives, they have no control over what their bees are bringing home.
- The hydrocarbon chains of beeswax retain certain pesticides, including those used by conventional beekeepers against the Varroa mite.
- Over time pesticide residues accumulate in the combs, so chemicals linger or build for years beyond the original applications. By itself this might not present a problem, except that beekeepers routinely buy and sell wax as starter comb. A recent survey of pesticides in commercially-available beeswax recorded 98% of samples contaminated with miticides.
(Source: Scientific American)
The challenges of sourcing organic honey
According to the UK newspaper, The Guardian, the bee population in the UK has experienced a sharp decline, partly because of the Varroa mite, the changing weather and the use of chemical pesticides. The European bee's foraging distance has been estimated as being up to 12km. So in order to get the organic seal a honey producer will have to prove that its bees have only foraged organically. In most places this is challenging or not even possible.
For honey to be certified organic, manufacturers have to meet a set of organic standards and conditions during the honey production (set by an organic agriculture certification body), which include source of the nectar, honey bees foraging area, bees management, honey extracting process, transportation, processing temperature, and packaging materials. Certification requirements vary from country to country, with some being less stringent than others. Dealing with different standards for organic honey from different sources can be confusing and one could question that some honeys that have been packaged and labelled as organic may not actually be the real deal. There also isn’t a specific rule that says organic honey can’t be pasteurized or processed so this means it might be organic but it could be devoid of all its nutrients and health qualities if it has been heated or treated.
Where to source raw honey
It seems to make more sense to me to retain the nutritional health benefits guaranteed with raw honey and buy honey sourced from ‘clean’ environments. That’s why I seek out remote locations and get to know my beekeepers and their practices, like the beekeeper co-operative I work with in the South of Yemen. They harvest the honey naturally bringing the purest form of honey, Raw Yemeni Sidr Do’ ani to the shelves of Balqees. The bees forage nectar from the Sidr trees that grow in the isolated mountains of the Wadi Do'an in the Hadramout region. The same goes for our Raw Catay Honey where the bee’s source pollen from Caa-tay flowers that grow in wetlands in the middle of the Parana River in Argentina. This is extremely rare honey and the beekeepers can only access the hives by boat at certain times of the year. There aren’t any pollutants to contaminate the flowers and the beekeepers take so much care and pride in their practices; respecting the bees is paramount in this naturally organic process.
Did you know it takes 12 bees a lifetime to produce a teaspoon of honey?
Friends of the Earth in the UK ask the consumer to consider the treatment of the bees and to ensure they come from healthy ecosystems. This means supporting beekeepers who raise their hives and follow best practices even if not completely organic. Natural beekeeping as advocated by naturalbeekeepingtrust.org puts the real producers first, the bees rather than the consumers. This resonates as I care a great deal about my customers and meeting their needs and demands but I also know best practice and happy bees makes for a better product. Bees are our pollinators so we need to protect them, this means reducing the use of chemicals and the over consumption that is leeching the hives leaving nothing for the bees, and to protect naturally from disease. Industrial scale beekeeping, whatever the type of honey, can do a lot of harm.
One thing for sure as consumers, do your own research and ask questions about your food and where it comes from. When it comes to raw versus organic ask yourself what is the healthiest option and always look to the source so you know it is coming from small beekeeper operations and avoid large corporations producing en masse.
So, what do you think? Let me know your thoughts and share your honey experience with me.
You might also like these posts:
2264 thoughts on “Is raw honey the same as organic honey?”
craybet_elOl
I’ve been using Craybet for about six weeks or so and thought I’d throw out my experience since there isn’t many posts about this place in this forum. Registered on a whim and the whole process literally took 90 seconds. Min deposit was $10 and that’s pretty standard. I grabbed a sign-up bonus — 100% up to $500 plus fifty free spins on Gates of Olympus. Playthrough requirements were 35x and that could be lower but it’s manageable.
The game library is honestly pretty solid. They’ve got titles from Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, and Play’n GO — so like Gates of Olympus, Gonzo’s Quest, the usual heavy hitters. Somewhere around 1500-2000 slots total if you count everything. Live casino runs on Evolution which is smooth — played some blackjack and Crazy Time with actual croupiers and had no complaints.
Now the one thing that annoyed me a little was payout speed. Withdrew via Bitcoin and waited about 48 hours the first time. Second time around it dropped to like 24 hours. They accept Visa, Mastercard, e-wallets like Skrill and Neteller, Bitcoin which is most bases. You can look at the full bonus details at [url=https://svnewtech.com]Craybet sports betting[/url] before you sign up.
Using Craybet on mobile worked better than expected. There’s no app to download — the browser version runs well and everything works no problem. Was playing Book of Dead on my commute and didn’t notice any performance issues.
Customer service on Craybet is okay — live chat that gets you a person within a few minutes when I’ve used it. Had to ask about my verification docs and they sorted it within hours. I think they’re Curacao licensed and that’s typical of platforms like this. Wouldn’t say it’s perfect — wish they had more payment options — but as a daily player it does the job for me.
craybet_woOl
So I’ve been playing on Craybet for like a couple months and figured I’d share my experience because there’s not many posts about this place on here. Signed up after seeing an ad and signing up literally took a couple minutes. Minimum deposit is ten bucks which is pretty standard. They threw in a welcome bonus — matched my first deposit 100% up to 500 plus 50 free spins on Gates of Olympus. Wagering was 35 times the bonus which isn’t amazing but I’ve dealt with worse.
Their slots catalog is honestly pretty solid. You’ll find stuff from Pragmatic Play, Betsoft, plus Big Time Gaming — so like Gates of Olympus, Gonzo’s Quest, all the popular ones. Somewhere around 1500-2000 slots when you add it all up. Live dealer stuff is powered by Evolution which is quality — tried roulette and Lightning Roulette with actual croupiers and it worked great.
Tbh the thing I wasn’t thrilled about was payout speed. Tried cashing out with Skrill and it took almost two days the first time. After that though things sped up. You can use Visa, Mastercard, Skrill, Neteller, and BTC which covers most bases. I’d look at the full bonus details over at [url=https://svnewtech.com]Craybet before you sign up.
Using Craybet on my phone was surprisingly good. I didn’t find a native app though the mobile site loads fast and all the games load fine. Was playing a few sessions in bed and no lag or glitches.
Support at Craybet has been decent — live chat and someone actually responds pretty quick usually. Had to ask about my verification docs and got it fixed same day. Not sure about operating under a Curacao license and that’s typical of offshore casinos. It’s not flawless — the bonus wagering could be lower — but as a daily player I’m still using it.
tenobet_miel
Been using Tenobet since about March, and I figure I’ve got enough mileage to say something useful. Came across it via a mate of mine who wanted a site with proper game coverage without all the deposit limit nagging you see everywhere now on the UK licensed sites. Right, important bit: this isn’t UK Gambling Commission licensed and it isn’t on the GamStop scheme, and that is either the point or a dealbreaker.
Lobby’s honestly massive — somewhere around 3,500+ games by my count, and the names you’d want are present: Pragmatic Play, Net Ent, Play n GO, BTG, Yggdrasil, Microgaming. Mainly I rinse Sweet Bonanza and Gates of Olympus, both run fine in browser. The live rooms are Evolution, which means exactly what you expect — real croupiers, the game shows like Crazy Time if that’s your thing. Sports betting’s bolted on as well, which I’ve dabbled in on the football, it’s fine, nothing more.
Bonus-wise is 100% up to ?125 and 100 spins thrown in, you’ll want the code JOIN002 at deposit or it won’t trigger. Check the playthrough before you commit, the requirement is not amazing but not predatory to be honest. There’s no no-deposit bonus as far as I can tell. For the what’s running currently, they’re listed over on [url=https://solvecovid19.net]tenobet casino[/url] before you sign up. Minimum deposit is ?10, signing up took about three minutes.
Cashouts have been the better half for me. Cards go through, Skrill and Neteller are there, Bitcoin and a few other coins for anyone who wants that. Skrill withdrawals have come through within a day; Visa took closer to three days. My main gripe was KYC — took a day and a half to clear my documents, so the first cashout sat waiting until that cleared. Nothing shady about it, but slow.
Couple of niggles: no native app, which means the mobile site. It’s responsive enough on my iPhone but I’d prefer a proper app. Logging in sometimes gets sluggish in the evenings. Support’s fine — maybe five minutes to get a human, though the opening messages are copy-paste. Push past that and they’re helpful enough.
tenobet_gxel
I’ve been punting on Tenobet since roughly the spring, so I suppose I’ve got enough experience to give an honest take. Came across it via a mate who was chasing a site with decent game coverage without all the deposit limit nagging you get now on the regulated UK ones. Should flag early: this isn’t UKGC licensed and it’s not on the GamStop scheme, which is either the point or a dealbreaker.
The lobby is genuinely big — about 3,500+ titles by my count, and the providers that matter are present: Pragmatic, NetEnt, Play’n GO, Big Time Gaming, Betsoft, Microgaming. Personally I stick to Sweet Bonanza and Sweet Bonanza, which both run fine in browser. The live rooms are all Evolution, which means what you’re getting — actual dealers, Crazy Time if that’s your thing. There’s a sportsbook too, and it gets a bit of use from me on Premier League, it’s fine, nothing more.
The welcome thing is 100% up to ?125 plus 100 spins thrown in, you’ll want the promo code JOIN002 at deposit or it won’t trigger. Read the wagering first, the requirement is fairly standard to be honest. There’s no no-deposit bonus unfortunately. To check the live offers, you’ll find them over on [url=solvecovid19.net]https://solvecovid19.net[/url] if you’re curious. Min deposit’s ?10, standard stuff, signing up took maybe two minutes.
Payments have been generally fine for me. Visa and Mastercard work, e-wallets like Skrill and Neteller are supported, Bitcoin and a few other coins if you prefer. Skrill withdrawals have come through in under 24 hours; Visa took a bit longer. What did wind me up was KYC — they took about two days to clear my documents, which held up the first payout just sat there the whole time. Nothing shady about it, just slow.
Couple of niggles: they don’t have an app, which means mobile browser only. Works fine on Android but an app would be nicer. Logging in can be sluggish in the evenings. Live chat at Tenobet is fine — maybe five minutes to get a human, though the opening messages read like templates. Push past that and they sort it.
tenobet_vmel
Been using Tenobet since about the spring, so I suppose I’ve got enough mileage to give an honest take. Came across it via a mate who was after a site with proper lobby depth without all the affordability checks you see everywhere now on the regulated UK ones. Should flag early: this isn’t UK Gambling Commission licensed and it’s not on GamStop, and that is either the point or a dealbreaker.
The lobby is genuinely big — somewhere around 4,000+ games last I looked, with the usual heavy hitters are present: Pragmatic, NetEnt, Play n GO, Big Time Gaming, Betsoft, Microgaming’s back catalogue. I mostly grind Gates of Olympus plus Book of Dead, which both behave properly on mobile browser. The live rooms are all Evolution, so it’s what you’re getting — actual dealers, the game shows like Crazy Time when I fancy a punt on something daft. They do sports as well, and it gets a bit of use from me for the football, it’s fine, nothing more.
On the sign-up offer it’s a 100% match to ?125 and 100 free spins, and you need the code JOIN002 at deposit — I nearly forgot it the first time. Check the playthrough before you commit, the requirement is not the loosest to be honest. Don’t expect free credit without depositing as far as I can tell. If you want to see current promos, have a look at [url=https://solvecovid19.net]tenobet[/url] rather than taking my word for it. Min deposit’s a tenner, the form took maybe two minutes.
Payments have been the better half in my experience. Cards go through, Skrill and Neteller are supported, Bitcoin and a few other coins for anyone who wants that. My Skrill cashouts have come through in under 24 hours; cards were a bit longer. The one thing that annoyed me was the verification — it took 36-48 hours to verify me, so the first cashout just sat there until that cleared. Nothing shady about it, just slower than I’d like.
Few more things: they don’t have an app, so you’re on browser only. It’s responsive enough on my iPhone but I do miss having one. The login is occasionally a bit slow in the evenings. Support’s fine — maybe five minutes to get a human, but the opening messages are copy-paste. Ask a specific question and someone competent turns up.