Shopping for olive oil and honey

[Liverpool Lou]

5 minutes ago, superal said:

35 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 .

"...not going to waste my time with you anymore".

Excellent, suits me fine, put me on your ignore list if you want to really upset me!   

I'm only interested in responses to my very specific questions, not general assertions about worldwide fake oil that I suspect the link would contain.

Edited July 2, 2022 by Liverpool Lou

[bbko]

Found this honey flavored substitute on Shoppe, I'm assuming some low level street sellers will buy this and will try to pass it off as the real stuff, same with the 20b orange juice sellers.

 

https://shopee.co.th/aro-Honey-Syrup-1000-g-เอโร่-น้ำเชื่อมรสน้ำผึ้ง-1000-กรัม-รหัสสินค้า-126090-i.50027683.10351641037?gclid=Cj0KCQjwtvqVBhCVARIsAFUxcRv1YjjDBOeHHWb_-hKEKedWgGf56aU0rB_Kjbiw8JSLEfcDstwl_5QaAhIDEALw_wcB

[scorecard]

3 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

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.

Nice points but I wonder how much time and effort companies like Foodland (and others) put into confirming that in all aspects the product is as described on the bottle and whether the brand name is a registered/recognized/respected brand name in the originating country? 

 

E.g. Does Foodland (and the others) get a full analysis of the contents from a fully qualified and totally respected laboratory and same for many products? 

[mstevens]

13 hours ago, scorecard said:

Nice points but I wonder how much time and effort companies like Foodland (and others) put into confirming that in all aspects the product is as described on the bottle and whether the brand name is a registered/recognized/respected brand name in the originating country? 

 

E.g. Does Foodland (and the others) get a full analysis of the contents from a fully qualified and totally respected laboratory and same for many products? 

A retailer like Foodland does not test the products it sells in a laboratory. All of that sort of testing is done well before the product makes it to supermarket shelves.

 

If you wish to sell a foreign manufactured food product in Thailand, that product must have approval from the Thailand FDA and will be issued with a Thai FDA number.

 

Food importers (not Foodland, but the companies which import the various foreign food products) submit a huge amount of documentation to get said Thailand FDA number. This number is unique to each product.

 

The FDA approval process is very involved and requires product samples and a lot of documentation from the manufacturer in the country in which the product is manufactured. This all has to be checked, approved and stamped by the department of the relevant government agnecy that deals with food safety / export in the country where the product is made. This paperwork is very extensive and includes all sorts of things including lab tests and results etc.

 

Upon receiving application for a foreign food product to be sold in Thailand, the Thai FDA scrutinises this documentation. The process involves a team sent to inspect the warehouse / premises of the importer (to make sure that the place where the product is stored is suitable etc), check all other relevant paperwork such as company formation documents etc and eventually issue an FDA number for each and every product. It is a very rigorous process.

 

You can go to the local Thailand FDA website and enter an FDA number and it will tell you what that product is. I mention this because the #1 area in which fake products make it to the market involves the use of FDA stickers using the number for a different product.

 

Basically, if the product is sold by a reputable vendor and has a Thailand FDA number that number matches up with the product in the FDA database, then it is unlikely to be a fake.

[superal]

5 hours ago, mstevens said:

A retailer like Foodland does not test the products it sells in a laboratory. All of that sort of testing is done well before the product makes it to supermarket shelves.

 

If you wish to sell a foreign manufactured food product in Thailand, that product must have approval from the Thailand FDA and will be issued with a Thai FDA number.

 

Food importers (not Foodland, but the companies which import the various foreign food products) submit a huge amount of documentation to get said Thailand FDA number. This number is unique to each product.

 

The FDA approval process is very involved and requires product samples and a lot of documentation from the manufacturer in the country in which the product is manufactured. This all has to be checked, approved and stamped by the department of the relevant government agnecy that deals with food safety / export in the country where the product is made. This paperwork is very extensive and includes all sorts of things including lab tests and results etc.

 

Upon receiving application for a foreign food product to be sold in Thailand, the Thai FDA scrutinises this documentation. The process involves a team sent to inspect the warehouse / premises of the importer (to make sure that the place where the product is stored is suitable etc), check all other relevant paperwork such as company formation documents etc and eventually issue an FDA number for each and every product. It is a very rigorous process.

 

You can go to the local Thailand FDA website and enter an FDA number and it will tell you what that product is. I mention this because the #1 area in which fake products make it to the market involves the use of FDA stickers using the number for a different product.

 

Basically, if the product is sold by a reputable vendor and has a Thailand FDA number that number matches up with the product in the FDA database, then it is unlikely to be a fake.

I can imagine the amount of paperwork required by the FDA , typical of Thailand's many steps but that does not prove that , for example honey , is the genuine product . There are possibly no laboratories in Thailand that can test for fake honey ( below link is informative ) . It would appear that the majority of members on this forum are not aware of the extent of fake honey on supermarket shelves and that applies to the supermarket owners , distributors and buyers . The evidence is there for all to see .                       https://www.wired.co.uk/article/honey-fraud-detection

[mstevens]

2 hours ago, superal said:

I can imagine the amount of paperwork required by the FDA , typical of Thailand's many steps but that does not prove that , for example honey , is the genuine product . There are possibly no laboratories in Thailand that can test for fake honey ( below link is informative ) . It would appear that the majority of members on this forum are not aware of the extent of fake honey on supermarket shelves and that applies to the supermarket owners , distributors and buyers . The evidence is there for all to see .                       https://www.wired.co.uk/article/honey-fraud-detection

I cannot comment on that article, local Thailand-produced honey or honey imported from other markets, but I do know all about New Zealand Manuka honey. I also know two of the Thai importers of New Zealand Manuka honey very well, having have assisted them in getting set up to import genuine Manuka honey from New Zealand. I mention New Zealand Manuka honey because this is a product I know well and I have worked with companies which import it. It is a premium product priced very high so if anyone was going to produce fake honey, then this would be the likely product to choose. But fake manuka honey in Thailand is not an issue. And in New Zealand, MPI (The New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries) controls the export of Manuka honey very tightly. Did you know, for example, that you cannot export honey from New Zealand without a licence? You cannot send it in the post and no international courier will touch it without the extensive documentation allowing it.

 

I just cannot see any supermarket in Thailand stocking any fake honey. The supermarket operators are VERY fussy about who they source product from and have stringent processed any supplier must go through. It's a lot of work. Pitching a product to local supermarkets and the number of meetings, the paperwork, the checking of references etc is extensive. Believe me, it's very difficult to get any product on to the shelves of a local supermarket, costs a lot of money and takes a lot of time and effort. The system is robust.

 

You can get great genuine honey, both imported and locally produced, in Thai supermarkets. Don't sweat it!

 

 

[superal]

1 hour ago, mstevens said:

I cannot comment on that article, local Thailand-produced honey or honey imported from other markets, but I do know all about New Zealand Manuka honey. I also know two of the Thai importers of New Zealand Manuka honey very well, having have assisted them in getting set up to import genuine Manuka honey from New Zealand. I mention New Zealand Manuka honey because this is a product I know well and I have worked with companies which import it. It is a premium product priced very high so if anyone was going to produce fake honey, then this would be the likely product to choose. But fake manuka honey in Thailand is not an issue. And in New Zealand, MPI (The New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries) controls the export of Manuka honey very tightly. Did you know, for example, that you cannot export honey from New Zealand without a licence? You cannot send it in the post and no international courier will touch it without the extensive documentation allowing it.

 

I just cannot see any supermarket in Thailand stocking any fake honey. The supermarket operators are VERY fussy about who they source product from and have stringent processed any supplier must go through. It's a lot of work. Pitching a product to local supermarkets and the number of meetings, the paperwork, the checking of references etc is extensive. Believe me, it's very difficult to get any product on to the shelves of a local supermarket, costs a lot of money and takes a lot of time and effort. The system is robust.

 

You can get great genuine honey, both imported and locally produced, in Thai supermarkets. Don't sweat it!

 

 

 

Indeed , your mentioned honeys are among the top 5 that were recommended 

Kiva Raw Manuka Honey

Manuka honey is considered the best in the industry. This is because it has a significantly higher concentration of potent of anti-viral, nutritional, and healing properties. Created in New Zealand by bees that pollinate the manuka bush, manuka honey is native to the country and is strong in both nutritional content and taste. It has an unusual taste, that is less sweet and has an Earthly herbal hint to it.

 

Steens Raw Manuka Honey

Steens Raw Manuka Honey is unique for containing bee bread. The raw component that makes this brand stand out is fermented pollen mixed with bee saliva and honey. This causes the grainy texture and the antibacterial properties. Steens has one of the best manuka honeys available on the market. It keeps the signature richness without that awful medicinal aftertaste