The first National Honey Day announced on Friday, October 21
What better way to celebrate our great British bee farmers than by buying a jar of honey to celebrate the first National Honey Day?
The British Beekeeping Association (BBKA) has chosen Friday, October 21. You can help local producers survive and thrive by making sure the honey you purchase is produced ethically by bees here in the UK.
BBKA is keen to stress that honey is not only wonderful for your health but that you can get a lot of pleasure in eating real honey, not diluted with sugar syrup or other ingredients. Honey has been enjoyed as part of our diet for thousands of years. it was found in Egyptian tombs and there are ancient cave drawings of bees collecting honey.
How to celebrate National Honey Day
What can you do to help our honey farmers? The BBKA has these ideas:
- During the day, encourage friends and family to share photos on social media with jars of local honey.
- What do you use your honey for? Do you eat it on toast or in porridge? Perhaps you bake with honey or make mead? Do you make cosmetics containing honey?
- Use the hashtags #NationalHoneyDay, #LocalHoney and #Beekeeping on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Make sure you buy honey with no additives
One thing to watch out for – not all honey is what it says! The BBKA has warned shoppers that some mass-produced honey contains corn syrup, and other additives and chemicals. The organisation wants people to be aware and informed about the worldwide ‘fraud’ affecting imported honey.
To counteract this, the BBKA will be launching a new petition calling on the Government to revisit the intended change to honey labels sold in the UK. Changes were to have come into law later this year but have been postponed until 2024.
The BBKA wants shoppers to be able to recognise honey produced in the UK and to have an informed choice in what they are buying. Incredibly, some imported honey has never been collected by a bee. The BBKA wants informed information on labels. Hedgeley Honey backs the move and will share details of the petition when it becomes available.
The goal is to reach 100,000 signatures as this will trigger a Government debate in Parliament. It needs the support of the public and not just the beekeeping community to achieve this result. Keep your eyes peeled and support our bee farmers in their battle for pure British honey.
For more information, visit www.bbka.org.uk. Want to celebrate by buying our Northumbrian Heather, Blossom or Borage honey? Visit our online shop or one of our stockists.
Read more about using honey to liven up your cheeseboards.