3 Reasons to Buy Your Honey Local

My friend Diane brought me along to a farmers market last week to meet her “honey guy” and I was introduced to an awesome beekeeper who keeps a series of hives throughout the GTA. I was so excited when I saw he had honey produced from hives on surrounding University of Toronto campuses near where I live. He holds the utmost respect for the bees, even paints their hives in beautiful colours for them, and declines (unlike most beekeepers) to give them sugar water in winter for sustenance, letting them feast off their own honey like nature intended (even if it puts a dent in his pocketbook). Check out his hives below:

Why is it important to buy your honey local?

Allergies
There really isn’t any scientific evidence yet to promote the theory that eating local honey can act as an immune “booster” with seasonal allergies, but there are several theories that make sense (and plenty of testimonies). Since small amounts of these plants that you are reacting to are present in the honey, ingesting it is thought to increase your tolerance.

The idea behind eating honey is kind of like gradually vaccinating the body against allergens, a process called immunotherapy. Honey contains a variety of the same pollen spores that give allergy sufferers so much trouble when flowers and grasses are in bloom. Introducing these spores into the body in small amounts by eating honey should make the body accustomed to their presence and decrease the chance an immune system response like the release of histamine will occur. Since the concentration of pollen spores found in honey is low — compared to, say, sniffing a flower directly — then the production of antibodies shouldn’t trigger symptoms similar to an allergic reaction. Ideally, the honey-eater won’t have any reaction at all.

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Less Carbon Foot Print
You reduce shipping costs, and support other local businesses with more humane practices. Your dollar is your vote, and you should use it for something meaningful!

You Know Where it Came From
There is a fascinating little article on About.com addressing the “honey laundering business” in which these launderers ship contaminated honey from China to the U.S using intermediaries to falsify documents.

Barrels of honey travel from China to one of several other countries, where they are relabeled and reshipped to the U.S., to be distributed by packing companies unaware of the scheme. In some cases, the Chinese honey is diluted with corn syrup or sugar water, and the consumer may not even realize she’s being ripped off. Of greater concern is the likelihood of contamination by antibiotics or pesticides.

About.com, Debbie Hadley

For better health for yourself and the planet, and out of respect for the bees (which you may have sadly heard seem to be decreasing in population in recent years), try sourcing out your honey locally. One great way to remember we are all connected is sharing a smile with the person who is producing your food!

Have a great day 🙂

S