News Release for May 13, 2002
FROM: British Columbia Honey Producers’ Association
SUBJECT: BC honey not contaminated
BC Honey: Pure and Simple!
The BC Honey Producers’ Association is concerned that a recent recall by Health Canada of food products containing Chinese honey has hurt the sale of honey from its members.
In April, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) recalled all food products containing Chinese honey after testing revealed low dosages of Chloramphenicol, an antibiotic not approved in Canada, the EU, the USA, and many other countries for use in food-producing animals including honeybees. The CFIA later amended the advisory to exempt all baked goods and other foods that might contain honey.
All honey affected by the recall was from large packers in Eastern Canada who buy Chinese honey to sell in North America and to blend with Canadian honey.
Jaquie Bunse, President of the BC Honey Producers’ Association (BCHPA), says members of her Association are reporting that the public is expressing uncertainty about the recall, and that this has resulted in a decrease in the sale of BC Honey.
‘The BC public should be unconcerned about the recall when buying BC honey because it affects only products containing Chinese honey, and no members of the BCHPA deal in Chinese honey,” says Bunse.
“Members of the BCHPA pride themselves on producing high quality local honey, and the public should remain confident that honey produced by their local beekeeper is still one of BC’s finest food products, pure and simple.”
Chloramphenicol is approved for human use in Canada but only as a drug of last resort in the treatment of life-threatening infections, when no other treatment is available. The main known risk from the drug relates to aplastic anemia, a rare blood disorder.
The contaminated honey samples from China contained only very small amounts of Chloramphenicol (0.3 - 12.8 parts per billion) and do not pose an immediate threat to human health. The UK Food Standards Agency judged the risk as so small that a recall was unnecessary. Health Canada, however, has adopted a zero-tolerance policy for Chloramphenicol in honey.
For further information about BC honeys and sources, please contact BCHPA at 604-574-6272
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