Raw Honey vs. Regular Honey

Honey is a sweet gift from the hive that is enjoyed for its unique flavor. However, stand in front of the honey section at your grocery store and you will see many different labels – “raw honey”, “regular honey” and more. What is the difference between raw and regular honey? In this article, I will guide you through this marketing label confusion. Then, you will be armed with information to help you make a good decision.

Unless you are a beekeeper, like me, you may have no idea how complicated honey can be. There are actually many different types of honey – based primarily on nectar source. Beyond that, all the marketing terms can be rather confusing.

Defining Raw Honey vs Honey

At the start – bees make honey in the same way. It is not the bees that determine how honey is defined. All honey made by bees is raw. It is what humans do with it after the harvest that makes a distinction in the final product.

What is Raw Honey?

Raw honey is the purest form of honey. This product straight from the hive has undergone minimal handling or processing. It is typically strained only to remove large pieces of wax and/or dead bees.

When I collect or harvest honey from my hives, straining is accomplished by allowing the honey to drip from the honey extractor through a nylon sieve.

What is Regular Honey?

The term “regular honey” (also called store bought honey – commercial honey) is the most common product for sale in the grocery store.

It begins its journey at the hive, in this way raw honey and regular honey are alike. However, most commercial jars of honey go through a series of processing steps before it reaches the grocery shelves.

Processing

The time between honey leaving the hive and reaching you can be several months – or more. It is natural for honey to crystallize, but consumers understand and prefer a liquid product that pours well

To slow or prevent crystallization, honey packers perform ultra-filtration and sometimes pasteurization. As honey is extracted from the comb (separating liquid from wax) and moved through the commercial bottling process it is subjected to intense filtration under pressure.

Room temperature or cold honey is thick and does not flow well through machinery and filters. Therefore, it is often warmed or heated to facilitate the process.

The down side is that some natural enzymes found in raw honey are sensitive to heat and may be damaged by heating.

Pasteurization

The use of heat during processing is a major difference between raw honey and regular honey. However, some commercial honey is even “pasteurized” – subjected to higher temperatures.

The heat used during pasteurization kills naturally occurring yeasts and other substances that might contribute to spoilage and honey crystallization. This can be beneficial to consumers – especially those with weakened immune systems.

But, the downside of pasteurization is that the process which kills the bad things – also kills some of the good yeast cells and damages nutrients.

The end result of regular honey processing is a product that will look nice on the shelf for a long time. With a longer shelf life and more uniform appearance, it is convenient and widely accessible.

Texture & Taste

Raw Honey: When you shop for raw honey, you will notice a wide range of honey colors and tastes. This reflects the many different floral nectar sources used by the bees to make it.

Color and flavor will vary greatly from jar to jar. In my apiary, it is not unusual to have different colors of honey produced by the same hives at the same times of year. In general, light colored honey has a milder taste while the darker varieties are more bold.

But, you can’t rely on color alone. What about the unusual colors such as purple honey – produced in parts of North Carolina.

Regular Honey: Commercial honey is often presented with a more uniform color and flavor. Larger amounts of collected honey are blended together to give a product that consumers expect from any particular brand.

If you consistently buy a particular brand that always looks and tastes the same – that is a blended honey. And, that is perfectly okay – it is not a bad thing but rather the way a larger producer has to operate.

Nutritional Differences

The nutritional value of honey or raw honey is a topic often debated. While it is certainly a wonderful natural sugar, not all researchers agree on its contribution to good human nutrition.

As a beekeeper, not a nutritionist or doctor, I believe that minimal processing has to be the ideal. But, that does not mean that regular honey is not delicious and nutritious too.

Raw honey: Retains all potential nutrients due to minimal filtering and no heating. This is why it is associated with health benefits such as its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties

Regular honey: Commercial honey is a beautiful product but it may lose much of its beneficial nutrition – especially if it is heat treated or pasteurized. Honey that is forced through fine filters under pressure will not contain bits of bee pollen that some people believe are beneficial.

Expert Tips

Here are a few important tips to keep in mind when you are trying to decide between raw honey vs honey:

• read the labels for honey but do your research
• pure and raw are not the same. Pure honey has nothing added but may not be raw
• ingredient label should contain only one word – honey
• just for fun – here are a couple of ways to check for pure honey (Not sure I believe them all)
• some people believe honey production is cruel – but you will find some vegans that eat honey

Raw Honey Caution

Raw honey is a wonderful addition to our diet but there is one caution. While raw food is safe for most people to consume, it may not be safe for babies or adults with compromised immune systems.

There is always a risk (botulism) of any raw food that could contain harmful substances (i.e. Clostridium botulinum). Consult your doctor when in doubt.

Organic Honey Certification

Organic honey is an official label that must be applied for. It refers to factors involved in production and processing. No chemicals are used in the beehives and they only forage on chemical free plants.

The USDA regulates this certification of organic livestock practices. The certification process is rather expensive – often too much of a cost for small producers. Most beekeepers do not make a lot of money or profit on their hobby.

Also, honey bees can travel several miles to forage for nectar. I’m not sure how organic producers tell the bees where to go. My bees never listen to me when I tell them to fly in a certain direction.

This is an unrealistic expectation for most beekeepers who do not own enough acreage to ensure the bees stay on their property.

Ways to Enjoy

In most situations, both raw honey and regular honey can be used interchangeably, They are wonderful natural sweeteners – suitable to use on the table or in your favorite honey recipes.

The uses for honey are too numerous to list. But, it is commonly used as a home remedy for seasonal allergies, indigestion and even wound care. If I am making a product such as my honey aloe burn salve – I always opt for raw honey to reap any potential health advantages.

However, if you are whipping up a bunch of diy honey straws or sticks to take on your backpacking trip – it likely doesn’t matter which type of honey you choose. Either will give you a natural energy boost.

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