About Us
True Source Honey, LLC is an effort by a number of honey companies and importers to call attention to the problem of illegally sourced honey; to encourage action to protect consumers and customers from these practices; and to highlight and support legal, transparent and ethical sourcing.
The initiative seeks to help maintain the reputation of honey as a high-quality, highly valued food and further sustain the U.S. honey sector.
As noted in our pledge, we endeavor to do business with companies that share our concern for food safety and security. We stand against the collection, processing or sale of adulterated honey or honey that has been obtained in circumvention of U.S. law.
We also espouse a global standard for high-quality honey that does not allow for adulteration with added syrups or other sweetener extenders, or use of inappropriate additives in honey production. We have urged the Food and Drug Administration to establish a legal definition of honey that would help in regulating the purity and safety of honey to safeguard American producers and consumers against those who seek to circumvent trade and food safety laws.
We actively support U.S. beekeepers, including supporting research to help beekeepers maintain the health and high quality of U.S. honey production and to fight colony collapse disorder. True Source Honey member companies are proud supporters of the Foundation for the Preservation of Honey Bees and Haagen Dazs' Help the Honey Bees initiative, as well as members of the American Beekeeping Federation and the American Honey Producers Association.
Honey Fast Facts
- Per capita consumption of honey in America is 1.1 pounds per year.1
Read all Fast Facts » - In 2009, the U.S. produced only about 144 million pounds of the 382 million pounds of honey consumed.2
Read all Fast Facts » - Bee Culture magazine accurately predicted that the 2009 honey crop would be the worst on record.3
Read all Fast Facts » - To make up the difference between U.S. honey production and consumption, we rely on honey from other countries, including Canada, Argentina and Brazil, among other countries.4
Read all Fast Facts » - There are 210,000 beekeepers in the U.S.5
Read all Fast Facts » - A Penn State College of Medicine research team found that a small dose of buckwheat honey given before bedtime provided better relief of nighttime cough and sleep difficulty in children than no treatment or dextromethorphan (DM), a cough suppressant found in many over-the-counter cold medications.6
Read all Fast Facts » - Bees may travel as far as 55,000 miles and visit more than two million flowers to gather enough nectar to make just a pound of honey.7
Read all Fast Facts » - There are more than 300 unique kinds of honey in the United States, originating from such diverse floral sources as Clover, Eucalyptus and Orange Blossoms.8
Read all Fast Facts » - Honey is primarily composed of fructose, glucose and water. It also contains other sugars as well as trace enzymes, minerals, vitamins and amino acids.9
Read all Fast Facts » - Lighter colored honeys are mild in flavor, while darker honeys are usually more robust in flavor.10
Read all Fast Facts » - The color and flavor of honeys differ depending on the nectar source (the blossoms) visited by the honey bees. The color ranges from nearly colorless to dark brown.11
Read all Fast Facts » - Fifty percent of the population buys honey for direct consumption, while 75 percent of the population consumes honey as an ingredient in teas, breads, salad dressings and BBQ sauces, among other food items.12
Read all Fast Facts » - Almost a quarter of the 210 million pounds of honey imported by the United States was from countries who have no existing commercial honey export business.13
Read all Fast Facts »
