Hey there!

There’s one thing that bothers me more than any other when it comes to industrialised honey you’ll find on the shelf:

The word "honey" on a label doesn't always mean what you think it means.

I've lost count of how many customers have told me they bought "pure" or "organic" honey from a supermarket... only to discover it was pasteurised, ultra-filtered, and blended from sources across multiple continents.

Technically it’s still honey. But it’s not the same thing.

So I’m breaking down the process that transforms perfectly good raw honey into the commercial “honey” most UK shoppers are putting in the trolley.

What "Raw" Actually Means

Let's start with the basics.

Raw honey is honey as it exists in the hive. 

It's extracted without heat and only coarse-filtered to remove debris like wax particles or the occasional bee wing. So nothing gets added or taken away.

The result is honey filled with all the good stuff the bees put into it:

- Enzymes

- Pollen

- Propolis

- Antioxidants

It crystallises naturally over time, and varies in colour and texture from batch to batch.

In short…

It behaves like a natural product, because it is one.

What Changes During Processing

Commercial honey goes through a VERY different journey.

First, it goes through ‘pasteurisation’ where it's heated to temperatures of 70°C or higher, keeping the honey in liquid form for longer. Because most average shoppers won’t buy crystallised honey (even though it’s natural, and a sign of quality).

Then it's ultra-filtered. 

This removes not just debris, but also a lot of the pollen, (which tells you where the honey actually came from). There’s 2 reasons for this:

1) Filtered honey looks clearer to give it that “golden look” to catch your eye on the shelf

2) The more devious types do it because it makes it tougher to trace the honey's origin. Many producers don’t want you to know their "pure" honey is a blend of imports from countries with… low standards.

What Gets Lost Along the Way

This is what really matters.

When honey is heated above about 40°C, the enzyme ‘glucose oxidase’ breaks down. This is the enzyme that produces hydrogen peroxide… honey's natural antiseptic system. The same system that allowed 3,300-year-old honey in Egyptian tombs to remain perfectly preserved.

The higher the temperature, the more damage gets done.

After commercial honey has been heated, filtered, and blended, it’s shelf-ready. It's still sweet... it still fools most people into thinking “this is what honey tastes like”. But it's lost most of what made it valuable in the first place.

Red Flag: Blending of EU & Non-EU Honey

If you've ever looked closely at a honey label, you might’ve seen the phrase: 

"Blend of EU and non-EU honeys."

Biggest red flag you’ll find 🚩

It means the honey could’ve come from anywhere, including countries where they bulk it out with cheap syrups. So when you buy honey with this label, you do NOT know what you're getting.

Compare that to a jar where you know the beekeeper's name (Antonio, Thomas, Luisa), the exact region the honey came from, and how it was harvested. That's a different product entirely.

How to Tell the Difference

A few things to look for:

Raw honey tends to be cloudier than processed honey. You might see tiny flecks of pollen or wax. It has depth of colour and complexity of flavour, not just generic sweetness.

Processed honey is usually perfectly clear, uniformly coloured, and stays liquid for years. It tastes sweet but one-dimensional.

The label matters too. If it says "raw" and "unfiltered" and names a specific origin and beekeeper, you're probably on solid ground. If it says "blend of EU and non-EU honeys" and nothing else, keep your guard up!

And of course, crystallisation. If your honey never crystallises, something's been done to it.

This might all sound like I'm trying to sell you our raw honey. I mean, that is what we do! But truth be told, it's better to buy genuine raw honey from someone else than processed honey from anywhere. 

It's that much of a difference.

But if you want to explore what raw honey actually tastes like, our bestsellers are a good place to start… Oak, Chestnut, Rosemary, Wild Lavender. Each one tastes completely different because each one comes from a specific place, a specific beekeeper, and hasn't been blended into anonymity.

Click below now to check out our best-selling raw honey, which have only been course-filtered:

👉TheRawHoneyshop.com/collections/top-sellers-2

Or give us a call on 01273 682109 if you'd like a recommendation. 

We're always happy to chat.

Tim