inside costco
FRANCE FREEMAN
Consumer reporter Pat Volchok
gives a behind-the-scenes look at
Costco products and services. Send
your questions about this article to:
buyingsmart@costco.com.
BuyingSmart
Pat Volchok, right, models the latest in
beekeeper fashionwear while checking
out sources of Kirkland Signature™ honey.
The buzz about
MELODY OWEN, TRI COUN TY NE WS, GACKLE, ND
Some honey hits a sour note
The USDA has a grading system for
honey (Grade A, the grade of Costco’s
honey, is the highest), but the USDA
does not conduct regular inspections
or emphasize standards, leaving it up
to beekeepers and honey processors to
voluntarily self-regulate.
I’ve read that some honey brokers
and importers illegally circumvent tar-
iffs, selling honey in the U.S. that is of
questionable origin. When tested, some
of these honeys are found to carry an
antibiotic that is banned in the U.S.,
while others contain added syrups or
sweeteners and masquerade as honey,
but in reality contain as
little as 10 percent actual honey.
In addition, there has been
confusion regarding the
honey industry’s standard
filtration practice, which has been in effect for
more than 50 years, versus a modern process
called ultra-filtration. The USDA Grading
Standards define filtered U.S. Grade A Honey
as “honey of any type that has been filtered to
the extent that all or most of the fine particles,
pollen grains, air bubbles, or other materials
normally found in suspension, have been
removed.” Ultra-filtration filters at the molecu-
lar level. The end product of ultra-filtration
cannot be called honey, nor does it look or taste
like honey. (Costco does not ultra-filter its
Costco’s Kirkland
Signature honey
BEES: DON MASON / AGE FOTOSTOCK
By Pat Volchok
SWEET! MORE THAN 30 billion honeybees,
600 beekeepers, Costco-selected honey producers and Costco’s “honey team” of buyers are
the force behind Kirkland Signature’s 100-per-
cent-pure United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) Grade A Clover Honey.
Pure honey, that sweet food made by honeybees from the nectar of flowers or blossoms, is
an all-natural sweetener without any added
ingredients. It’s composed primarily of energy-making natural sugar carbohydrates ( 17 grams
per tablespoon) and water, as well as trace
enzymes, minerals, vitamins and amino acids.
much more. antibiotic that is banned in the U.S., plus
ee
B
HONEY is good
for more than
just drizzling
on your toast. It
can be used in
a variety of rec-
ipes for appetizers, baked goods,
beverages, breakfast, canning,
condiments, desserts, main
dishes, salads and dressings,
sauces and glazes, side
dishes, snacks and soups.
There are even beauty treat-
ments one can make, such as
body butter, hair conditioner
and more. Visit the National
Honey Board (www.honey.
com) for recipe ideas and
