The local industry has responded to recent research that found Australian honey to the most contaminated in the world.
According to research published in the Food Additives and Contaminants scientific journal by Irish researchers, Australian supermarket honey products contain natural poisons that can cause liver and lung damage, especially in unborn and breastfed infants.
The cause of the contamination is weeds like Paterson's curse and Fireweed. Their flowers are laced with chemicals called pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) permits honey to be sourced from these plants, as long as it is blended with other honey to dilute it.
Australian toxicologist Dr John Edgar, a United Nations registered expert on the issue, says dietary exposure to these poisons could be a significant cause of cancer. He is calling for better monitoring and says consumers should be better informed.
However Dr Nadine Chapman, a bee researcher from the University of Sydney's science faculty, said the honey industry is aware of the issue and has taken steps to mitigate it.
"To say that Australian honey is the most contaminated in the world is an exaggeration and it depends on the contaminant. As Australia does not have the Varroa mite and a number of other pests and diseases, we use less chemicals to manage our bees. We also try to minimise exposure to pesticides.”
Dr Ian Musgrave, a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine, School of Medicine Sciences, within the Discipline of Pharmacology at the University of Adelaide, said although the research shows Australian honey has on average four times more pyrrolizidine alkaloids than European honeys, for most Australian honeys the risk is low.
"For a 70 kg person consuming the average amount of honey (around three grams per day, roughly three teaspoons) consumption of most of the Australian honeys would be safe at both European and Australian guidelines. There were a few exceptions, and these are of concern.
"However, people who are high consumers of honey are at much greater risk, and several honeys exceed both current Australian and European guidelines when consumed at levels seen in 5 per cent of the Australian population.
"While for the average consumer the risk is low, further investigation will be needed to understand the risk to more vulnerable groups."
The Australian Honeybee Industry Association has responded to media coverage, saying that the Australian honey industry has been well aware of the issues of natural plant alkaloids in honey from all over the world for many years, and has worked to remove the risk of identified plant toxins by managing out the supply of Paterson’s Curse honey from the Australian honey supply chain.
"As a consequence of modern farming techniques, the amount of honey produced from this agricultural weed has declined dramatically over the last decade," the Association says.
The Association also ays the study is "misleading in that it overstates consumption of honey and underestimates body weight creating a misleading conclusion completely out of touch with reality".
"The Irish research uses a figure for the average adult of 60kgs when considering toxicity. The Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows the average Australian male weighs 85.9kgs and the average female 71.1kg. Thus the research exaggerates the toxicity likelihood."
In light of media coverage of this issue, FSANZ has updated its 'natural contaminants in honey' page to says: "FSANZ is aware of the recent reports on total PA levels in Australian and New Zealand honey. However, based on the type of PA present and honey consumption levels in Australia and New Zealand, they are unlikely to pose a health risk."
"FSANZ has not reviewed the paper by Luckhart et al on the effects of PAs on cells in culture. However, it should be noted that caution is required in extrapolating from cells in culture to a risk in humans."
FSANZ also said that together with the honey industries in Australia and New Zealand, it has made a significant effort to characterise the toxicity of PAs present in honey.
"In particular, this work has shown that the predominant PA in Australian and New Zealand honey, echimidine, has a lower toxicity than the PA used as a standard by some authorities to set values.
"FSANZ is taking account of recent research conducted in Australia and New Zealand on the presence and toxicity of these substances in honey and is waiting on the outcomes of the international risk assessment of PAs by JECFA (the WHO expert group with responsibility for assessing food contaminants).
"It is anticipated that the WHO will complete a risk assessment this year and then the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food will consider if there should be an internationally agreed maximum level for PAs in honey or other foods."
