What is Real Texas HoneyTM?
Real Texas HoneyTM is honey produced by bees residing in Texas, and extracted and packaged in facilities in Texas, by members of the Texas Beekeepers Association. More importantly, when you see the terms Raw, Unfiltered, Pure, or Natural along with the Real Texas HoneyTM mark you know you are getting a genuine Texas product. The participants have agreed to observe those definitions as defined by Texas Beekeepers Association.
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Why should you purchase honey from a local beekeeper?
Over 70% of honey consumed in the U.S. is imported. And 70% of honey sold in Texas is also imported. Texas Beekeepers only produce 20% of the honey consumed in Texas. Unfortunately cheap non-U.S. honey out-competes honey produced by honest U.S. beekeepers.
Most honey in big box stores is misrepresented by labels not properly identifying the actual bottled product. The USDA does not define Raw, Local or Unfiltered – so anything goes. USDA Grade A honey may not even be U.S. honey. Some products sold as honey do not even contain real honey.
Most honey in big box stores is processed. Tests have shown that most of the honey you see is ultra-filtered, which means all the pollen has been eliminated. This honey is excessively heated to facilitate easier processing, but this often kills the beneficial enzymes that make raw honey special.
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Does honey contain pollen? The US FDA has said yes. All honey contains pollen, and local honey contains local pollen. There are two reasons to remove pollen from honey by ultra-filtration. Removal of pollen can extend the time natural crystallization occurs, making it appealing on store shelves. However, it is a red flag as it masks the origin of the honey. As one of the top fraudulent foods sold, ultra-filtered cheap honey is often “trans-shipped” through multiple countries to avoid import duties and testing for harmful antibiotics and other toxic substances.
[/column] [/columns] [columns] [column size=”third” last=”no”]Want to find Real Texas HoneyTM from a real Texas beekeeper?
We know that local honey is frequently preferred by well-informed consumers. Local honey is honey that is produced and consumed in the same ecoregion or geographical area. To know your honey, know your beekeeper. Real Texas HoneyTM is Raw, Unfiltered pure honey, and nothing else. Find the honey produced by a certified REAL TEXAS HONEYTM beekeeper that is closest to you:
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Who sells Texas honey?
Producer– A beekeeper who produces 100% of their own Texas honey.
Producer/Packer -A beekeeper who produces 100% of their own Texas Honey and packages that product for the wholesale or retail market.
Packer/Producer – An individual who produces 30% or more of his packaged product, the remaining is purchased from another Texas Producer.
Packer – An individual that buys Texas Honey in Bulk from a Texas Producer and repackages for sale to the consumer.
Marketer/Broker – A person or company that buys packaged honey from an above-mentioned Packer or Producer, and resells it.