Photos of impostor honey being sold in HEB

[Jeffrey Todd]

As a follow-up to an earlier post regarding the selling of a product that masquerades as honey, I have posted a couple of pics:
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...9/DSCN3656.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...9/DSCN3658.jpg

The color, packaging, placement, and label all suggest to the consumer that they are buying honey. What comes to mind when you see the words, "Texas Honey Blend?" I think of honey, honey that is made in Texas, and is a blend of different honeys. Never would it cross the mind of the layman that what he is actually purchasing is corn syrup and sugar - see the second picture.
Ross, do you think this falls outside the statutes of Texas law? If you have a link to those sections, let me know and I will forward applicable info to HEB and the Attorney General.

[cphilip]

Seeing as how they are using a PO box then someone must sort of suspect they know what they are doing is either illegal or unethical. Now... when one does a little cyber sleuthing... one finds in the same area of Texas this:

Kelley N Honey Bee Co
FM 906 W, Paris, TX
903-732-4540

Which just happens to be 16 miles from the Post Office. According to map quest.

But... there is a phone number... and someone in the Kelly family is or knows who is doing this.

I think a call is in order?

[Ross]

Is the word Honey larger than the word Blend?

http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/statutes/ag.toc.htm
§ 131.081. USE OF "HONEY" ON LABEL. A person may not
label, sell, or keep, offer, or expose for sale a product identified
on its label as "honey," "liquid or extracted honey," "strained
honey," or "pure honey" unless the product consists exclusively of
pure honey.

Added by Acts 1983, 68th Leg., p. 1884, ch. 350, § 1, eff. Sept.
1, 1983.


§ 131.082. USE OF BEE, HIVE, OR COMB DESIGN. A person may
not label, sell, or keep, expose, or offer for sale a product that
resembles honey and that has on its label a picture or drawing of a
bee, hive, or comb unless the product consists exclusively of pure
honey.

Added by Acts 1983, 68th Leg., p. 1884, ch. 350, § 1, eff. Sept.
1, 1983.


§ 131.083. SALE OF IMITATION HONEY. A person may not
label, sell, or keep, expose, or offer for sale a product that
resembles honey and is identified on its label as "imitation
honey."

Added by Acts 1983, 68th Leg., p. 1884, ch. 350, § 1, eff. Sept.
1, 1983.


§ 131.084. SALE OF HONEY MIXTURES. (a) A person may not
label, sell, or keep, expose, or offer for sale a product that
consists of honey mixed with another ingredient unless:
(1) the product bears a label with a list of
ingredients; and
(2) "honey" appears in the list of ingredients in the
same size type of print as the other ingredients.
(b) A person may not label, sell, or keep, expose, or offer
for sale a product that contains honey mixed with another
ingredient and contains in the product name "honey" in a larger size
of type or print or in a more prominent position than the other
words in the product name.

[Alex Cantacuzene]

Hopefully there is not more to that story. I recall reading some time ago that the Australians were baffled by a sudden increase in honey imports. The story claims that they found the imports in a warehouse near the docks with the barrels being relabled as "Product of Australia" with reloading destination to the US. Actual origin of the honey is claimed to be China. Now the Chinese have similar problems with Varroa etc. but seem to have different chemical approaches against these difficulties. I don't remember the particular chemical that they are claimed to be using but I remember the article saying that this honey with a saturation of it and a certain volume of consumption by a person of that honey can simulate cancer. I think there is a whole lot more lurking in the backgrounds and caution is advisable. I advise people to only buy local honey from the bee-keeper. It might even help with their allergies. Take care and have fun

[cphilip]

I believe that it does indeed violate this:

"...or in a more prominent position than the other
words in the product name."

Since its on the front label and the only other words are "Texas" and "Blend" with the bold word "Honey" dead center of those... I believe it should be argued that it is in a more prominent position than other words in the product name... plus I think its arguable that the other two words are non descriptive of its fact that its not pure honey. And not only that they are deceptive of that fact.

[size="1"][ June 23, 2006, 11:31 AM: Message edited by: cphilip ][/size]

[Jim Fischer]

The packaging alone (the bear) is deceptive enough to be the
basis for a complaint. Note that the use of the term "Texas Honey
Blend" may be some sort of weasel-wording that allows them
to sell such a product, but the container is clearly intended to
"hide" among pure honey packages.

On the other hand, Texas is where a perfectly good dish like
Wienerschnitzel somehow became "Chicken Fried Steak", so
there is no telling if this mix of muck is what Texans might
prefer to "the real thing". [img]smile.gif[/img]

[snoopybee]

on the other hand, we might just call it a breaded veal cutlet- but where is the imagination in that

[Ross]

Chicken Fried steak is not Wienerschitzel. It has no wieners in it [img]smile.gif[/img] . Don't come down here with that attitude and expect to get fed...

[Keith Benson]

The letter may be the same height - but they are wider. It si subtle, but it is there.

Keith

[FordGuy]

sounds like them folks stirred up a bees nest...

[Jim Williamson]

Jim Fischer says, "On the other hand, Texas is where a perfectly good dish like Wienerschnitzel somehow became "Chicken Fried Steak", so there is no telling if this mix of muck is what Texans might prefer to "the real thing".


Ross says, "Chicken Fried steak is not Wienerschitzel. It has no wieners in it . Don't come down here with that attitude and expect to get fed...

Jim W. replies ...

Wienerschnitzel isn't a hotdog, Ross. [img]smile.gif[/img] And Jim Fischer, come on down to Georgia next month for the EAS meeting and we'll feed you real good. I saw you are on the speakers list. I look forward to meeting you!

[Maine_Beekeeper]

Coming from one of the lands of Maple Syrup, which used to be a real industry up here, this makes me sick. In MAINE if you go to a diner and order pancakes, you don't get real syrup unless you ask for it and pay extra. Why? because "table syrup" is cheaper and is ACCEPTED AS A SUBSTITUTE. At this point it is accepted as the norm.
And why is the syrup so much more expensive? Economies of scale - there isn't enough demand for real syrup to support the infrastructure that would be required to support the Sugaring industry the scale that the "table syrup" operates.
I hope that honey does fall prey to this same dillema.

[iddee]

>>>>I hope that honey does fall prey to this same dillema.<<<<

Why would you hope that???

[Ross]

Don't forget there's a lot of good German and Polish stock in the Texas hill country...

[magnet-man]

§ 131.084. SALE OF HONEY MIXTURES.

I think he is within the law. The word Honey is in the same case, font and point size as the rest of the name. The font style just makes the word honey longer than blend. Should the font size be smaller to make it the same length as blend? If the font style was such that the word honey was shorter than the word blend, would he have the right to increase the font size to make it the same length as the word blend?

I know this is not what everyone wants to hear. I would like the law to require the word "imitation" or "flavored".

Has anybody called them to complain?

[size="1"][ June 24, 2006, 09:41 AM: Message edited by: magnet-man ][/size]

[cphilip]

According to that reading of the law he cannot put the words imitation honey on the label. I fail to see the logic of that

I still believe it can be interpreted that the word honey is in a "more prominent position" on the label. It does not have to be larger font. The key word in that regulaton is "or". Not and or either. If it fails one or the other criteria its illegal. And its placement in the center is the most prominent position. It's interpretive, that clause, and I think most regulators would interpret it that way.

Thank you ladies and gentelmen of the jury, I rest my case.

[size="1"][ June 24, 2006, 09:49 AM: Message edited by: cphilip ][/size]

[Ross]

I think it was designed to be just barely inside the law...Maybe suggest to that it belongs with the sugar

[size="1"][ June 24, 2006, 05:22 PM: Message edited by: Ross ][/size]

[Apuuli]

I notice that instead of having the forbidden pictures of a bee, hive, or comb, they have a picture of a honey whatchamacallit. Although it is not expressly forbidden by law, it is an instrument that is used pretty much only for honey.

It seems that this package is designed to be as deceitful as possible while being within the letter of the law.

It's sickening.

Now someone tell me what NASCAR has to do with honey?

[Velbert]

Heres a few Pictures

opps, sorry posted in wrong place

[size="1"][ June 25, 2006, 08:28 AM: Message edited by: Velbert ][/size]

[Sundance]

This is not a new occurance in
grocery marketing. As someone
said Maple Syrup went through
this process. The grocery store
shelves are littered with these
phoney products. Here's a partial
list.

Cranberry Juice Cocktail

Welch's Grape Drink

Sunny Deight Orange Drink

Heck just check any of the
"drink" or "cocktail" products.

American Cheese Food

Crab Salad (in any Deli, no
crab just flavored pollack)

Stonyfield Farms Strawberry Stratosphere
Yosqueeze yogurt (has no berries
at all and uses beet juice for color)

Quaker Strawberries & Cream and
Peaches & Cream Oatmeal do not
contain strawberries or peaches,
just dried apple bits with artificial color.

Betty Crocker Stir Â’n Bake Carrot
Cake Mix lists carrot powder
as the last ingredient, which
means the cake mix has more salt,
cinnamon, red dye, xanthan gum,
and other additives than carrot powder.

Quakers Country Bacon Instant Grits
(contains no bacon at all)

Quakers Real Butter Instant Grits
(you guessed it, no butter in it)

Quakers Ham & Cheese Instant Grits
(no ham and a dusting of cheese powder)

Then there are the "Natural" products!!