Honey
honey, blossom honey, nectar honey, honeydew honey, comb honey, filtered honey, baker's honey
What it is
A natural sweet substance produced by honey bees from plant nectar or other plant secretions or excretions that bees collect, transform, dehydrate, store and mature in honeycombs.
Why BOTIA flags it
Honey is produced by bees, so its origin matters to people who eat vegan or follow certain religious rules. Its sugars are free sugars, without the fibre of fruit, and WHO counts them in the same category as added sugars — being natural does not change that classification. There is also a warning that may not appear on the jar: honey should not be given to babies under one year because of the risk of infant botulism.
BOTIA CAN
- Identify honey and common declared honey types when they appear in the ingredient list.
- Trigger the animal-origin and sugar information layers.
BOTIA CANNOT
- Determine the botanical or geographical origin of the honey unless it is explicitly stated on the label.
- Calculate the product's total free-sugar content or predict a health effect from the presence of honey alone.