Only three Hawaiian producers meet US's organic honey standards; study suggests rule review

Researchers established 72 bee colonies across six large organic farms (IStock photo) Only three Hawaiian producers currently meet the United States' organic honey certification rules, but scientists now say those rules may be stricter than necessary, according to a new study.Researchers have found that honey produced by organically managed bee colonies on farms in the northeastern US had pesticide contamination levels similar to certified organic honey already sold in the market. The findings could support a review of existing rules and help more American beekeepers enter the organic honey market.The study was carried out by researchers at Cornell University and published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, Science X reported.According to the researchers, current US organic certification rules make it almost impossible for most beekeepers in the continental US to qualify, even when they follow organic beekeeping practices."Consumers are willing to pay 20% to 30% more for certified organic honey than nonorganic honey," says Scott McArt, associate professor of entomology at Cornell University and senior author of the study. "If organic honey was possible to produce in t...