Honey on the street or honey in the shop-which is the better quality?

[bushwacker]

We typically get our honey from Mackro and it seems ok. Was given a small bottle of honey as part of a gift basket from Big C. Tried it, it was not sweet at all and actually had no taste. Was not thick. I really do not think it was honey. Just goes to show you ... you pay your money, you take your chances .... Welcome to Thailand.

[oldsailor35]

honey on the street is cheaper because you don't have to pay the bar fine oops

Yes , but wherever you get it ..........No money = no honey !

[oldsailor35]

honey on the street is cheaper because you don't have to pay the bar fine oops

500 baht for a litre ??

I buy it from the street all the time 150 baht a litre. I had some shop bought honey in my fridge. And when I took the street stuff home, OI asked my wife to put 3 teaspoons of each into seperate containers. I did not look. When I tasted them, I could not tell the difference.

What guarantee do you have that shop honey has no added ingredients ?? the answer is none.

Just on a last note.

Archeologists, found an egyptian burial site. Over 3,000 years old. Inside one there was an unopened jar of honey. The sent it for lab tests, and it came back, to everyones amazement, that it was perfectlt edible.

Were you never told that Honey is the only 'food' that does not spoil...........geeze i was told that 60 years ago, so why whas 'everyone' amazed, especially university trained Archeologists, Were they American ?

[Ahnsahn]

Tesco and Big C sell Healthy Mate raw organic honey. It's a little bit more expensive but worth it when compared to the potentially toxic crap you buy on the streets.

Hmm... I have found buying honey a problem. It's cut with syrup, which you can taste. Even otop honey from lotus has the distinctive taste of syrup and I think has been cut. There is no diy test. So, look for taste and the unique flavour and sweetness only honey has. Use a European honey as a benchmark so you know what to look for. I have jars and bottles of the stuff that I cannot eat. Good to make candy though. 55555

We buy ours directly from the guy that comes and collects bee hives from our orchard. Small "Hong Thong" bottle 200 baht, large 350 baht, Hong Thong labels still on the bottle. We know that it's the real thing.

It's amusing how many people in this thread have bought into the corporate mantra that implies if you buy something in an air conditioned environment with elevator music playing in the background it must be really healthy and totally genuine.

Bryant's results were astonishing: virtually all drug store honey and small individually packaged honey served up in fast food outlets does not contain pollen, and 76 percent of the amber stuff sold in America's leading supermarket chains is likewise devoid of this telltale evidence of its origins, and therefore does not qualify as honey by the FDA's own standards. On the other hand, all of the samples bought at farmers markets, coops and health food stores were infused with the traces of pollen that proved it was real.

... But there are other reasons the pollen gets removed, including the desire to conceal where it comes from, and lace it with cheap additives. Since pollen's source is local blossoms, the type of pollens found in honey tells botanists where the honey originated, and whether it is authentic.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-schiffman/most-store-bought-honey-i_b_1118564.html

If the guy sitting on the pavement selling honey is surrounded by buzzing bees, at least we know the bees find it worth investigating.

I, too, have finally found that Tesco's Honey Mate looks to be the real thing - it has the distinctive taste and smell of wild flowers. It costs ~ THB 305 per 710ml bottle.

Besides those who knowingly sell adulterated honey, some street vendors get their honey from 'farm bees' that are only feed sugar water - these bees do not feed on natural flower nectar, thus, their honey tastes like sugary syrup.

Many store bought brands consists of sugary additives.

Edited November 13, 2013 by Ahnsahn

[Phil Water]

Am I the only one who clicked on this thread because I was thinking of a different kind of honey??

[jayci]

I get a bottle every once in a while from a mom and pop store--they buy it from a village lady who has bees. She comes into town every once in a while and sells off her remaining honey. 100 baht per bottle. It is real honey, doesn't go bad and tastes excellent. Bit of honeycomb in there and the odd bee, which I just pull out. Think it is better than the store-bought stuff. The lady at the store said that she buys it because the lady is quite poor, so this helps her get by. 

This is exactly the type of honey I want to buy.

[shaurene]

I would say the honey sold on the street in the bottles from a local honey area is better as am sure no additives. All honey has a certain amount of anti bacteria naturally. I have bought it many times and have a table spoon every morning and I go buzzing around all day.

[Ahnsahn]

Am I the only one who clicked on this thread because I was thinking of a different kind of honey??

If I'm not mistaken, the kind of 'honey' you're thinking about is listed under the heading, 'Night life' - The honey discussed in this thread is what you want to ingest just before and/or after (at the same time?) one is engaging with the kind of honey you are thinking of ....

Only in LOS ....

[andreandre]

I eat a lot of honey and after reading this thread i searched a bit and this came up.

I am really pissed off because i thought that OTOP honey would be pure, but there is no guarentee where ever you buy honey, what brand or from what scource.. ...

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/627685-thailand-implicated-in-chinese-honey-laundering-scheme/

[Ahnsahn]

I eat a lot of honey and after reading this thread i searched a bit and this came up.

I am really pissed off because i thought that OTOP honey would be pure, but there is no guarentee where ever you buy honey, what brand or from what scource.. ...

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/627685-thailand-implicated-in-chinese-honey-laundering-scheme/

When I first came across the OTOP brand honey, I was jumping for joy because I just knew this was the 'real' thing. After I compared it with the (Tesco) Honey Mate brand and the bottle from my sister-in-law who lives in the 'country'. I could immediately tell the difference. The OTOP honey is made from bees that are fed sugar water.

If you can't find a reliable source, I suggest you try the Honey Mate brand from Tesco and let us know what you think.

[Falcon]

A lot of the honey sold by the vendors walking around or in the markets are cut with Palm sugar, usually at a ratio of 60/40 - 60% being palm sugar. You can smell it quite clearly if they have done this and it tastes completely different.

[KIWIBATCH]

Honey...honey...honey...coming from a country (New Zealand) where honey is almost a staple food (and there's plenty of it)...here is my 2 bahts worth........

The honey sold in markets/on the street is highly suspect - 99% of it anyway.... I wouldn't buy it if I were you.

Not long ago a honey scam was unearthed whereby Australian and NZ exporters of honey to China found that the Chinese importer was "watering" down the honey by adding 95% corn syrup (looks like honey - tastes sweet like honey) + 5% imported honey into 750ml bottles and was both selling it in China and exporting it to Thailand...!!

This stuff is still sold...after assurances from the Thai Health Ministry that they would "crackdown" on this...(we have all heard that before - Thailand Hub of Crackdowns)

This imported (to Thailand) watered down muck is selling complete with "Pure NZ Honey" labels affixed to the bottle and as some other poster has already mentioned is spread everywhere throughout the street markets at 100b for 750ml (that price alone - 100b for 750ml should send a warning bell) I mean 750ml of "pure" honey should set you back around 900b - 1100b....!!!!

So onto Tesco, Big C and the likes......"Hong THong" brand honey........yes I have had it...it's okay - just..!!!

I can't comment on their "hygenic factory production" facilities I as would not have any idea on these.

Alternatives....for you to get your honey fix.......

Have someone from your home country post you a quantity (a pottle or two) ensuring the package contents won't leak when turned upside down during transit....simply post it through the local Post Office...no insurance...and not registered mail...... (don't draw attention to the package)...stuff goes missing via Thai Post regularly....register the package or insure it....and it will draw attention to it...I am sure you get the picture??

Buy imported German, New Zealand, Australian honey from the aforementioned outlets...yes it will set you back for sure but it is worth it.

Make contact with the poster (above) who buys his honey from a Ma and Pa concern...maybe he can post you some of it and you make a payment arrangment amongst yourselves.

I was very sick after eating the 750ml/100b "pure"honey from the street markets.

Apologies for the long post......hope the info is of assistance

[petedk]

I usually buy honey comb from either Tops or Foodland. Foodland tends to be cheaper than Tops. A small box costs about 170 baht.

I love it on toast.

As for bottled honey, I often receive a bottle from friends when then travel somewhere. I put in tea so I have no idea if it's watered down or not.

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[Ahnsahn]

Honey...honey...honey...coming from a country (New Zealand) where honey is almost a staple food (and there's plenty of it)...here is my 2 bahts worth........

The honey sold in markets/on the street is highly suspect - 99% of it anyway.... I wouldn't buy it if I were you.

Not long ago a honey scam was unearthed whereby Australian and NZ exporters of honey to China found that the Chinese importer was "watering" down the honey by adding 95% corn syrup (looks like honey - tastes sweet like honey) + 5% imported honey into 750ml bottles and was both selling it in China and exporting it to Thailand...!!

This stuff is still sold...after assurances from the Thai Health Ministry that they would "crackdown" on this...(we have all heard that before - Thailand Hub of Crackdowns)

This imported (to Thailand) watered down muck is selling complete with "Pure NZ Honey" labels affixed to the bottle and as some other poster has already mentioned is spread everywhere throughout the street markets at 100b for 750ml (that price alone - 100b for 750ml should send a warning bell) I mean 750ml of "pure" honey should set you back around 900b - 1100b....!!!!

So onto Tesco, Big C and the likes......"Hong THong" brand honey........yes I have had it...it's okay - just..!!!

I can't comment on their "hygenic factory production" facilities I as would not have any idea on these.

Alternatives....for you to get your honey fix.......

Have someone from your home country post you a quantity (a pottle or two) ensuring the package contents won't leak when turned upside down during transit....simply post it through the local Post Office...no insurance...and not registered mail...... (don't draw attention to the package)...stuff goes missing via Thai Post regularly....register the package or insure it....and it will draw attention to it...I am sure you get the picture??

Buy imported German, New Zealand, Australian honey from the aforementioned outlets...yes it will set you back for sure but it is worth it.

Make contact with the poster (above) who buys his honey from a Ma and Pa concern...maybe he can post you some of it and you make a payment arrangement amongst yourselves.

I was very sick after eating the 750ml/100b "pure"honey from the street markets.

Apologies for the long post......hope the info is of assistance

Thanx for the info!

Does real, natural, raw honey directly from a bee hive normally become 'cloudy' after a few weeks? This is my first experience with raw 'jungle' honey.

[asdecas]

I do think most of the "honey" i bought was just sugar and water. I heard ants like sugar and water, but not honey. might be a myth. Was it good? It was fine. Was it expensive? Not really. But I guess I forgot how real honey tastes, since when I finally found honey that I thought was 99% real in a nice supermarket I had that feeling all the rest was fake. Now once in Laos, it was just some lady pouring sugar and water over combs and made you think it was real. Problem is, it was either this sugar and water or jelly and bread for breakfast, so no worries. Even in America, there are many forms of honey and some are great and some are not good at all.

It's a well-documented scam in China that honey sold not just on the street but in shops too is sometimes heavily diluted with sugar and water due to the obvious cost saving. I'd be surprised if it didn't happen in Thailand as well.

Edited November 13, 2013 by asdecas

[dao16]

I get a bottle every once in a while from a mom and pop store--they buy it from a village lady who has bees. She comes into town every once in a while and sells off her remaining honey. 100 baht per bottle. It is real honey, doesn't go bad and tastes excellent. Bit of honeycomb in there and the odd bee, which I just pull out. Think it is better than the store-bought stuff. The lady at the store said that she buys it because the lady is quite poor, so this helps her get by.

This is exactly the type of honey I want to buy.

Yeah, I like it....I was just stopping by a shop on the way home to pick up some coffee packs for the AM and I saw bottles of honey so I had to ask. Then I got the whole story. Just seems like an old lady who has bees and not many ways to provide for herself. The owner said that she "song san" (felt bad) for the woman, so she buys a few bottles when she comes around. They were going for 120, but the woman said she couldn't use the 3 bottles so she would give it to me for 100--wasn't really a product in her store. She uses the honey as well, though. A bottle lasts quite a while.

[dao16]

Honey...honey...honey...coming from a country (New Zealand) where honey is almost a staple food (and there's plenty of it)...here is my 2 bahts worth........

The honey sold in markets/on the street is highly suspect - 99% of it anyway.... I wouldn't buy it if I were you.

Not long ago a honey scam was unearthed whereby Australian and NZ exporters of honey to China found that the Chinese importer was "watering" down the honey by adding 95% corn syrup (looks like honey - tastes sweet like honey) + 5% imported honey into 750ml bottles and was both selling it in China and exporting it to Thailand...!!

This stuff is still sold...after assurances from the Thai Health Ministry that they would "crackdown" on this...(we have all heard that before - Thailand Hub of Crackdowns)

This imported (to Thailand) watered down muck is selling complete with "Pure NZ Honey" labels affixed to the bottle and as some other poster has already mentioned is spread everywhere throughout the street markets at 100b for 750ml (that price alone - 100b for 750ml should send a warning bell) I mean 750ml of "pure" honey should set you back around 900b - 1100b....!!!!

So onto Tesco, Big C and the likes......"Hong THong" brand honey........yes I have had it...it's okay - just..!!!

I can't comment on their "hygenic factory production" facilities I as would not have any idea on these.

Alternatives....for you to get your honey fix.......

Have someone from your home country post you a quantity (a pottle or two) ensuring the package contents won't leak when turned upside down during transit....simply post it through the local Post Office...no insurance...and not registered mail...... (don't draw attention to the package)...stuff goes missing via Thai Post regularly....register the package or insure it....and it will draw attention to it...I am sure you get the picture??

Buy imported German, New Zealand, Australian honey from the aforementioned outlets...yes it will set you back for sure but it is worth it.

Make contact with the poster (above) who buys his honey from a Ma and Pa concern...maybe he can post you some of it and you make a payment arrangment amongst yourselves.

I was very sick after eating the 750ml/100b "pure"honey from the street markets.

Apologies for the long post......hope the info is of assistance

haha...maybe that should be my new business.....go out, inspect her bees and see how she rolls....then start a website and ship it to foreigners all over Thailand! It's good honey. I am sure of that. We had store bought honey in the fridge when I first bought it, but I find this much better. Anyway, thanks for the interesting info on honey (always my favorite over sugar).

[Ulic]

I would buy from a farmers market, that is a regular fixture and where Thais buy from but probably not of a street vendor.

Big operations have big gains to be made buy adding sugar and may be 80% sugar 20% honey but may be better when it

comes to hygiene. The local farmers market may not have as high a hygiene standard. Also the farmers market honey flavor

will change depending on the plants pollinated by the bees. Make sure you taste before buying a large supply.

[Somnambulist]

I once bought honey on the street in Chiang Mai from an old lady who had a big chunk of honey comb in a big tub of 'honey'. Turned out to be sugar syrup. My tuition was 150 baht.

[rjcampbe]

Well, my take is that if you buy honey from a shop, should you ever have a problem with it, like having it steal all your stuff and run off while you are sleeping, you can at least go back to the shop where you bought it.

But if you buy honey from the street, there wouldn't be much you can do...

What were we talking about again?

[Spaniel]

Lots of info about honey but here is a question I haven't been able to get an answer to. How much honey do you take per day to get the benefit of the honey? I usually take a tablespoon in the morning with breakfast. When we travel around the country we always buy a bottle when we see it for sale to sample it. The best I have found is sold at the Jim Thompson Farm. They also have an outlet near the main entrance to Khao Yai NP. 350 g bottle is B 80.

[jayci]

 

I get a bottle every once in a while from a mom and pop store--they buy it from a village lady who has bees. She comes into town every once in a while and sells off her remaining honey. 100 baht per bottle. It is real honey, doesn't go bad and tastes excellent. Bit of honeycomb in there and the odd bee, which I just pull out. Think it is better than the store-bought stuff. The lady at the store said that she buys it because the lady is quite poor, so this helps her get by. 

This is exactly the type of honey I want to buy.

 

Yeah, I like it....I was just stopping by a shop on the way home to pick up some coffee packs for the AM and I saw bottles of honey so I had to ask. Then I got the whole story. Just seems like an old lady who has bees and not many ways to provide for herself. The owner said that she "song san" (felt bad) for the woman, so she buys a few bottles when she comes around. They were going for 120, but the woman said she couldn't use the 3 bottles so she would give it to me for 100--wasn't really a product in her store. She uses the honey as well, though. A bottle lasts quite a while. 

What part of Thailand are you in? If I'm in the area, I'll make a point of going to the mom and pop store. Better to spend my money supporting locals than big companies. And knowing the history of the product is a big bonus.

[elzach]

Don't buy any honey made in China. Something like 70-80% is fake, as with many other things from China.

Try to find the origin of the honey, not an easy task since a lot of that Chinese honey is exported in bulk to the US and EU and repackaged. From my experience honey from Italy and Greece is safe and the best.

[atyclb]

I discussed thai honey with a 3rd generation german honey business expert at a recent international food show (trade only) in Bangkok. His company has a lab and tested many thai honey samples and results showed highly adulterated products.

[farang000999]

innuendo?

[aveabeeror2]

best place for buying anything is the early morning wet market and be guided by the popularity of the sellers product. things reduce in reliability the later in the day that you buy them. buy something on the street at after 9pm and its a big gamble. just a general guide.

Dont buy honey after 9pm!!! Dont be daft. You can buy it after 2913, it lasts forever.

[dao16]

I get a bottle every once in a while from a mom and pop store--they buy it from a village lady who has bees. She comes into town every once in a while and sells off her remaining honey. 100 baht per bottle. It is real honey, doesn't go bad and tastes excellent. Bit of honeycomb in there and the odd bee, which I just pull out. Think it is better than the store-bought stuff. The lady at the store said that she buys it because the lady is quite poor, so this helps her get by.

This is exactly the type of honey I want to buy.

Yeah, I like it....I was just stopping by a shop on the way home to pick up some coffee packs for the AM and I saw bottles of honey so I had to ask. Then I got the whole story. Just seems like an old lady who has bees and not many ways to provide for herself. The owner said that she "song san" (felt bad) for the woman, so she buys a few bottles when she comes around. They were going for 120, but the woman said she couldn't use the 3 bottles so she would give it to me for 100--wasn't really a product in her store. She uses the honey as well, though. A bottle lasts quite a while.

What part of Thailand are you in? If I'm in the area, I'll make a point of going to the mom and pop store. Better to spend my money supporting locals than big companies. And knowing the history of the product is a big bonus.

I am up in Isaan. I will run by the shop and see if she has more (I haven't seen any in a while, but I don't go there often and my last bottle is still here--only use it for cereal). I know there are some other people around with bees who make honey. This lady seems to just be a villager who lives day to day with little money and then sometimes has a grandson extract some honey from her land and then she rides her bicycle a few kilos into town to make a few baht. Not sure how regular she is with her trips--you know village Thailand. Also, just over on the border in Laos, tons of people are selling honeycomb. Usually pick up a bag for like 40 baht or something. Who knows, it could be cut with something, but it seems like the honey comb I used to get at home from beekeepers and I doubt they would want to spend the money on sugar to dilute it, as this lady doesn't seem to have the money to buy a bag of sugar. I think she just pours it straight in (bees and all--my last bottle had about 3 bees in it). Also, it is not runny or watery or anything.

After reading this thread, though, I want to go out and see some of the places I know where they make honey.

I remember reading a few other threads where people said that Thais will buy a bee's net if one shows up on your land since they can use them for honey, etc. Hasn't happened to me, but my wife said that people use the bees and make honey.

Edited November 13, 2013 by dao16

[inzman]

Most Thais I talk to all say honey on the street is cut with other things and not real. They won't buy it. Mostly tourists and fools buy it on the street.;<)

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[smartconsulting]

I like to buy my honey in shops. More selection and street honey is usually over the hill! Lol

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[XINLOI]

The only good honey to use here, is the honey that is still in the comb. You know it is real when it comes like this. The bottled stuff is more likely a percentage of real honey and a corn syrup filler, to make it look like honey. There are no organizations to look after consumer safety here, so you will never know what you bought, even though the label says what it is.....lol