'Honey laundering': An international food-safety crisis

Before honey ever reaches American breakfasts, it often comes into contact with dangerous additives — and the FDA isn't doing much about it

Natural honeycomb isn't the source of all of our grocery store honey, in fact, some of it is mixed with heavy metals, unrefined sugars, and other contaminants.
(Image credit: Michelle Garrett/CORBIS)

What could be more pure and natural than honey, nature's golden sweetener? Plenty, according to a recent investigation by Food Safety News, which has found that about one-third of the "honey" Americans are consuming isn't honey but a heavily doctored sweetener that contains artificial sugary concoctions and even dangerous ingredients. Because honey is added to countless foods — like granola, breakfast cereals, and cookies — "honey laundering" has become a multimillion-dollar international crime story. Here, a brief guide to this scandal:

What's being added to honey?

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