HONEY FROM CONTINENTAL US MAY BE AS PESTICIDE-FREE AS IMPORTED ORGANIC HONEY

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., July 29 -- Pennsylvania State University issued the following news release:

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Honey from the continental U.S. can't currently be certified organic due to specific land requirements, but farms in the Northeast may still produce honey that is as low in pesticide residue as imported organic honeys, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State, Cornell University and Auburn University.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) organic certification requires that beekeepers manage their colonies via organically-certified treatments and that the flowers bees forage on are free of synthetic pesticides, fertilizers or other treatments. Since bees cannot be contained to specific foraging areas, t...