Jakobsens honey has been produced since 1921. Therefore, Jakobsens has many years of experience with honey and is often asked questions from the customers. Below we have gathered the questions most frequently asked.
Click to see the questions and answers.
Why has the honey become too solid to be spreadable?
Jakobsens honey is a 100% natural product without additives of any kind. This applies to any type of honey. All honey is analysed at impartial laboratories and in addition to the continuous controls by the authorities daily in-house tests and control procedures are carried out.
Honey may vary in taste and texture from bottling to bottling – dependent on which vegetation the bees have been gathering honey from. Likewise, great variations may appear from year to year. Storage temperature may also have a great influence on the texture of the honey. Cold gives the honey a firm texture while heat gives the honey a soft texture.
Jakobsens does not add anything that either stabilizes or homogenizes the honey or anything that keeps the texture of the honey soft. A firm texture in a plastic tub can be massaged soft by pressing forcefully around the tub for approx. 1 minute. The frictional heat alone can soften firm honey.
Why is it recommended not to give honey to infants under 12 months?
Honey may contain certain spores which in some cases have proven cause to botulism with infant children. Botulism, also known as sausage poisoning, is a very rare disease caused by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum which is widespread in nature. The spores are insensitive to boiling for several hours.
Honey is completely safe for children and adults as the spores are not able to cause disease. With infants, however, the spores might cause diseases as they are activated; they divide and form toxins in the special environment in an infant’s alimentary canal.
There is a layer of brown water on top of the honey – has it gone off?
If the honey is exposed to high heat for a long time, it will start to separate and a layer of brown water can form on top. In terms of food safety, there’s nothing wrong with the honey, but the taste and appearance will not live up to the usual high standard.
I can see white spots / crystals in the bottom of the liquid honey – has it gone bad?
Liquid honey may crystallize eventually as part of a natural process. The white spots are sugar crystals that will disappear if the bottle is put into warm water. The honey is eatable even if it has started to crystallize.
How long will the honey keep?
Jakobsens guarantees a shelf-life of 18 months from the production date. The guaranteed shelf-life is the same even if the packing has been opened.
Is it true that nothing has been added to the honey?
Honey is a 100% natural product. It is prohibited to add any food ingredients including additives for food just as adding other additives as for example water is prohibited. Furthermore, it is prohibited to change the natural composition of the honey by removing natural ingredients.
The regulations can be found in statutory instrument no. 836 of 9 October 2003.
How is it possible to control the bees to ensure that they are not in contact with non-organic areas and even gathering honey in areas which cannot be described as the wild?
Bees always keep within a radius of 3 kilometres from the bee garden. Therefore, the regulations regarding organic honey states that bee gardens producing organic honey must be located so that nectar and pollen sources in a 3-kilometres radius consist of organic crops and wild stand.
The regulations regarding organic crops – including organic honey – can be found in Council Directive 2092/91 of 24 June 1991.