Shopping for olive oil and honey

[superal]

Not sure that this is in the correct category but it was the nearest to being appropriate . 

The question being , how do you know that when shopping for both olive oil and honey , you are buying an authentic product and not just a fake .

For example it is well known that fake honey is produced in large volumes in China , shipped to countries that are known to produce real honey and then bottled up and exported from those countries . It is very difficult to tell the difference between the real and fake honey by taste but it can be proven by laboratory testing . Another indicator is that the honey bee population is declining world wide , yet the honey production is soaring .

 

Olive oil is being faked and replaced/ mixed with cheap soybean content . In Thailand it is known that even the big label brands in the superstores are often fake , plus with up to 80% fakes in many western countries and even Italy where much of the olive oil originates , there is a 50% fake rate . 

Maybe avoid buying expensive / not sure if its olive oil and opting for another oil ?  

[4MyEgo]

10 minutes ago, superal said:

Maybe avoid buying expensive / not sure if its olive oil and opting for another oil ?  

I buy olive oil and it takes pretty close to the mark to me (Makro), I also buy honey and it tastes pretty much to the mark to me as well (Lotus).

 

There is a distinct difference in taste if your having oil in Greece or Italy because that is pretty pure IMO, as for honey, there are some local villages here in Thailand that do sell honey with the comb, and it is so so sweet.

 

The biggest concern you should worry about is fructose in foods, not fruit as that is normal fructose, the other stuff is a mix of sucrose (sugar) and fructose and effects the liver long term and is the cause of many chronic conditions, in other words, we are all being poisoned, because fructose is a toxin.

Edited July 1, 2022 by 4MyEgo

[ezzra]

Yes there are fakes everywhere, buy from reputable supermarket shops like Villa and gourmet market, never from Lazada or Shoppe..

[plus7]

You can find good (for Thailand) honey in Friendship. Central Festival in Pattaya has a good choice of honeys. Even from NZ.

 

[internationalism]

olive makro 5 litres bottles Sabrosso italy some 850b special price.

all for related

https://aseannow.com/forum/82-food-in-thailand/

[KhunLA]

We buy both at Makro, real honey, and wide choice of oil.  Best prices that I've found.  Don't even look elsewhere any more, as waste of time.

 

Makro & fresh markets ... can't go wrong.

 

Don't know about your 'fake' assumptions, but easy to tell if your oil or honey is not the real deal.

[Rimmer]

A troll post has been removed

[Moonlover]

1 hour ago, superal said:

It is very difficult to tell the difference between the real and fake honey by taste but it can be proven by laboratory testing .

There are a few of ways of testing honey for purity at home. This website describes a number of them. I've done the 'water drop' test on a number of Thai produced honeys and they have all passed and I consider the quality here to be very good.

 

[OneMoreFarang]

I buy brand names in brand name shops like i.e. Foodland.

Problem solved

 

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

Yes there are fakes everywhere, buy from reputable supermarket shops like Villa and gourmet market, never from Lazada or Shoppe..

Or, if willing, settle for an alternative.

 

We gave up buying 'olive oil' with obvious Italian brand names a few years ago when there was a news article that most of these brand names were the same company and the bottles contained between about 20% to 50% real/cheap olive oil, plus other oil (not from olives) to top up the bottles.

 

We went to Sunflower oil, it seems to get good write ups and the taste is not strong or harsh.

 

Further, My Thai son who is the family chef and his Thai wife are both qualified nutrition experts and they won't allow palm oils into the house.

 

Honey, I don't know.  However my son buys botttles of honey from a man who goes door to door once every month, it's in old whisky bottles, and each bottle has a piece of honey comb (in a plastic bag) attached to it, very reasonable price. Tastes pretty good. The kids love it on their corn flakes with milk.  

Edited July 1, 2022 by scorecard

[Liverpool Lou]

2 hours ago, superal said:

In Thailand it is known that even the big label brands in the superstores are often fake

Really? Where has that been confirmed with the big label brands' olive oil in Thailand?

Edited July 1, 2022 by Liverpool Lou

[Liverpool Lou]

15 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I buy brand names in brand name shops like i.e. Foodland.

Problem solved

 

No, no, the problem is not solved, the OP stated that even "big name brands" in Thailand are selling fake oil, so that must be true!   Big name Foodland making the problem worse...shame on them!

[superal]

2 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Really? Where has that been confirmed with the big label brands' olive oil in Thailand?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ceciliarodriguez/2016/02/10/the-olive-oil-scam-if-80-is-fake-why-do-you-keep-buying-it/?sh=42b34392639d

[OneMoreFarang]

3 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

No, no, the problem is not solved, the OP stated that even "big name brands" in Thailand are selling fake oil, so that must be true!   Big name Foodland making the problem worse...shame on them!

But I am sure I can go back to "my" Foodland branch anytime and give it back to them and get a refund. 

I am pretty sure they wouldn't sell any fake items intentionally.

[mstevens]

I am always a bit nervous when it comes to olive oil as there is so much adulteration of olive oils in Italy. As such, I try to find olive oils from Australia, New Zealand where that is not an issue.

 

As far as honey goes, I'm not sure if it's Manuka honey you're after but if it is, the best brands are Comvita and Arataki. Arataki is the better bet as quality-wise they're considered equal but Arataki is much less expensive. Arataki brand Manuka is available on both Lazada and Shopee and I find UMF 10+ to be the sweet spot.

[dingdongrb]

One would also have to ask, how does a person know that somethng is 100% organic? Do you believe so just because a label says that?

[superal]

5 hours ago, mstevens said:

I am always a bit nervous when it comes to olive oil as there is so much adulteration of olive oils in Italy. As such, I try to find olive oils from Australia, New Zealand where that is not an issue.

 

As far as honey goes, I'm not sure if it's Manuka honey you're after but if it is, the best brands are Comvita and Arataki. Arataki is the better bet as quality-wise they're considered equal but Arataki is much less expensive. Arataki brand Manuka is available on both Lazada and Shopee and I find UMF 10+ to be the sweet spot.

Your statement on olive oil is probably correct but the honey from Lazada or Shopee ? never shopped with Shopee but if there anything like Lazada who openly sell fake goods , I doubt their credibility  

[KhunLA]

Makro usually has 2 brands, their own & another brand.  Their own is fine, and usually available in 2 flavors (flower dependent).  100% honey.

Sometimes this brand, sometimes something else.

https://sunforestthailand.com/en/sun-forest-thailand-english/

Edited July 2, 2022 by KhunLA

[superal]

5 hours ago, dingdongrb said:

One would also have to ask, how does a person know that somethng is 100% organic? Do you believe so just because a label says that?

You are so right . In the UK for example , there is consumer protection and I would think that most western countries have something similar . Consumer protection , from the government , will ratify the products description on the bottle or box etc but here in Asia I do not think its quite the same and to think otherwise would be naive .  The link below shows the extent of fake olive oil .

 https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/seven-ways-to-tell-the-difference-between-real-and-fake-olive-oil-article

[Liverpool Lou]

17 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

21 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

No, no, the problem is not solved, the OP stated that even "big name brands" in Thailand are selling fake oil, so that must be true!   Big name Foodland making the problem worse...shame on them!

But I am sure I can go back to "my" Foodland branch anytime and give it back to them and get a refund. 

I am pretty sure they wouldn't sell any fake items intentionally.

Of course, but my point was that the chances of Foodland knowingly selling fake olive oil is next to nil and the chance of the OP making a false claim against the "big names" was pretty high.

[bbko]

Seven Ways to Tell If Your Olive Oil Is Fake

https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/seven-ways-to-tell-the-difference-between-real-and-fake-olive-oil-article

[Liverpool Lou]

18 hours ago, superal said:

21 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Really? Where has that been confirmed with the big label brands' olive oil in Thailand?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ceciliarodriguez/2016/02/10/the-olive-oil-scam-if-80-is-fake-why-do-you-keep-buying-it/?sh=42b34392639d

Thanks for that years-old link that does not actually empirically confirm anything so, as I asked, where has that been confirmed regarding the big label brands' olive oil in Thailand?

[recom273]

I buy honey from this guy

 

https://www.suphabeefarm.com

 

Not too sure if its real, but we like it. It seems strange for the seller to go through all the trouble of having a great website, offering people the opportunity to visit his farm with 1500 hives on and then selling imported Chinese sugar water.

 

I will do the tests mentioned in a previous post one day.

[superal]

55 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Thanks for that years-old link that does not actually empirically confirm anything so, as I asked, where has that been confirmed regarding the big label brands' olive oil in Thailand?

Just do your own Google search on both olive oil and honey fakes , their  is so much info out there , especially on the fake honey which originates mostly from China . The finished product is almost impossible to tell the difference in real or fake . 

[Liverpool Lou]

8 minutes ago, superal said:

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Thanks for that years-old link that does not actually empirically confirm anything so, as I asked, where has that been confirmed regarding the big label brands' olive oil in Thailand?

Just do your own Google search on both olive oil and honey fakes 

Do your own research on the specifics of my comment!

[superal]

12 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Do your own research on the specifics of my comment!

The attached link may be of interest .

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/honey-fraud-detection

[KhunLA]

Real ??? 

Honey - water test, too easy, quick & accurate.

Oil - not so easy, unless going for Xtra virgin or virgin, as your palate will help, if you know or care.  If not, then does it really matter.  Smoke point  may help also, though not really.

 

As I got 3 different thermometers, that give me 3 different readings.  Damn quality stuff.????

 

More than a few YT'ers to tell you how to tell the fakes, though unless knowing what 'real' taste like, what do you have to compare to, aside from labelling, and is that available here, or not faked (label) also.

 

If wanting the good stuff, Xtra virgin, then simply buy a few small bottles of what is available here, and go with the one you like best.  

 

Who cares if it's fake, if you like it ...

.... unless of course you're drinking the sh!t ????

 

 

Edited July 2, 2022 by KhunLA

[Liverpool Lou]

17 minutes ago, superal said:

31 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Do your own research on the specifics of my comment!

The attached link may be of interest .

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/honey-fraud-detection

Only if it relates to my very specific question relating to big name brands' alleged fraudulent behaviour in Thailand.  My guess is that it doesn't.

[scorecard]

23 hours ago, scorecard said:

Or, if willing, settle for an alternative.

 

We gave up buying 'olive oil' with obvious Italian brand names a few years ago when there was a news article that most of these brand names were the same company and the bottles contained between about 20% to 50% real/cheap olive oil, plus other oil (not from olives) to top up the bottles.

 

We went to Sunflower oil, it seems to get good write ups and the taste is not strong or harsh.

 

Further, My Thai son who is the family chef and his Thai wife are both qualified nutrition experts and they won't allow palm oils into the house.

 

Honey, I don't know.  However my son buys botttles of honey from a man who goes door to door once every month, it's in old whisky bottles, and each bottle has a piece of honey comb (in a plastic bag) attached to it, very reasonable price. Tastes pretty good. The kids love it on their corn flakes with milk.  

Yep Jimmy, it's just so confusing. 

[superal]

27 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Only if it relates to my very specific question relating to big name brands' alleged fraudulent behaviour in Thailand.  My guess is that it doesn't.

Click on the link I posted , look and you will find , but I think you do not want to know the facts , just want to be negative , not going to waste my time with you anymore .