Q&A

We often receive questions about honey, and here we have tried to answer the questions we are asked most often. Do you have a question you cannot find the answer to here? Send us an email and we will gladly reply.

Honey is made by bees from nectar they collect from flowers. The bees suck the nectar into their stomachs where it is mixed with enzymes and digested, then placed in wax cells in the hive where it is dried before the beekeeper comes and harvests the honey.

If you choose Norwegian honey, you support the Norwegian beekeeper and the bees’ important role in nature and Norwegian food production. We label our Norwegian honey with the NYT NORGE logo, which makes it easy to choose Norwegian food in the store. Norwegian honey comes straight from nature and is therefore unprocessed and free from additives. It is also good to use Norwegian honey instead of refined sugar; https://norskmat.no/no/nyt-norge/artikler/folk-vil-ha-norsk-honning

Honey is valuable, which is why many see great profit opportunities in offering fake honey. It is often mixed with cheaper sugars. Many countries, not least Norway, therefore have very strict quality control for honey – especially imported honey. We have worked closely for many years with our foreign suppliers.

They are just as concerned about and proud of their local honey and beekeeping as we are, and supply us with the very best quality. For the safety of both our suppliers and ourselves, all the honey they deliver is tested by a world-leading laboratory both before it is shipped and after it is received by us. You can be completely confident in all our imported honey! We also do not import from countries that are suspected of or associated with fake honey. The main reason we import honey is that most Norwegian honey is not naturally liquid (see points further down).

Honey is sweeter than sugar and you can therefore achieve the same sweetness by replacing the sugar with a smaller amount of honey. As a natural product it is therefore healthier than refined and industrially processed sugar. Honey also contains small amounts of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Therefore, feel free to replace refined sugar with honey, and use honey in all cooking, on bread and in breakfast cereal.

No, it is not. The honey can sometimes be a little firm when we receive it. Therefore, the honey is placed in warming cabinets for gentle and controlled heating that does not exceed 45 degrees. This makes our honey soft enough to be filled into packaging.

If you purchased fresh Norwegian liquid honey, it will often crystallize (become firm or grainy) at some point. This is simply a sign that you have an untreated natural product with nothing added or processed. You can easily place the jar of honey in a warm water bath to make it liquid and thinner again, and it is just as good and durable. Honningcentralen also receives some varietal honeys that can remain liquid throughout the entire shelf life. Acacia honey is one of the most well-known honeys in the world. It remains permanently liquid and has a fairly mild taste. This honey is imported by Honningcentralen, as the plant/tree does not exist in Norway.

Through many trials and analyses, as well as long traditions, we have found the perfect method to retain as much of the nutrients as possible. At Honningcentralen we work to sell the pure and natural raw material, and therefore we only use warming cabinets that provide gentle heating up to 45 degrees in order to fill honey into packaging. In this way we preserve the beneficial substances in the honey. We remain well within the strict regulations that exist for honey (Regulation on Honey/Norwegian Food Safety Authority).

In order to call their honey organic, a beekeeper must meet a number of requirements in addition to being registered with Debio, which verifies that these requirements are fulfilled.

• The beekeeper must ensure that the area where the bees collect nectar consists mainly of wild-growing plants and that the area is not fertilized or sprayed.
• The beekeeper may only feed the bees organic sugar during winter.
• The beekeeper is only allowed to use organic wax.
• In addition, the beekeeper must comply with strict rules regarding good animal welfare.

Infants under one year of age must not be given honey. This is because honey may contain a bacterium (Clostridium botulinum) that can cause serious illness in infants.

Children can eat honey from the age of 1 year. By then the bacterial flora in the digestive system is sufficiently developed to kill the bacterium.

Yes, they can. In this case it is the mother’s digestive system that eliminates any bacteria and they will not reach the child. However, remember that good hand hygiene is important to prevent the child from ingesting honey from fingers and hands.

No, the sugars found in honey come from the nectar of flowers. It is not permitted to sell honey that has added sugar or sucrose (or anything else) and call it honey.

We also sell Norwegian naturally liquid honey. This is completely fresh and comes straight from the beehive from our beekeepers. However, we do not have very much of it and it is sold as a seasonal product. If the honey changes from liquid to a firmer, more crystalline consistency, this does not mean it is bad. It simply shows that the honey is a natural product that has not been processed.

The nectar for this honey comes from the flowers of the tree Black Locust (= False Acacia). The tree’s large, white, hanging flowers contain a higher proportion of fructose than glucose and therefore keep the honey liquid. This plant does not grow in Norway, but Honningcentralen sources it from our beekeeper colleagues in Europe.

No, it is not. Pollen is a natural component of honey and should not be removed.

The lactic acid bacteria survive only a short time in the honey after extraction. When the beekeeper has finished extracting, stirred the honey and put it into jars, all bacteria are gone. Ready-to-eat honey therefore does not contain living lactic acid bacteria, even though they are found in the bees’ honey stomach.

(Per 100 g): Energy: 1399 kJ (334 kcal), fat: 0 g of which saturated fatty acids: 0 g, carbohydrates: 80 g of which sugars: 80 g, protein

Honey is best stored at room temperature, in a dark and dry place – for example in a kitchen cupboard. It is not necessary to store honey in the refrigerator, as this can accelerate crystallization. Keep the lid tightly closed.

Place the jar in a water bath at approximately 40–45 degrees and leave it until the honey becomes softer. Stir occasionally. Do not use a microwave oven or direct heat on a stovetop, as this may damage the nutrients.

How do I know that the honey is genuine?

Yes, many people do this as a home remedy. Use warm (but not boiling) water to preserve the nutrients in the honey.

It is not dangerous, but it can damage the taste and nutrients. Use a water bath for gentle heating instead.

Honey contains natural pollen traces that in rare cases may affect allergy sufferers. If you have a severe pollen allergy, you should consult a doctor.

Honey has natural antibacterial properties, but ready-to-eat honey is not sterile. Use medical honey for wound care.

Yes, honey keeps for a very long time. As long as it looks and smells normal, it is safe to eat even after the date marking.