Ag Policy
State leaders support North Carolina honey standard - Governor Beverly Perdue and Agricultural Commissioner Steve Troxler met with leadership from the North Carolina State Beekeeping Association and the newly formed North Carolina State Beekeepers Honey Board to announce their support of a honey standard that would limit the abuses of honey sold in the state. During the NC State Beekeepers Association its Summer Meeting in China Grove, the association voted to adopt a State Honey Standard. "This is one of the most exciting things our state beekeepers have done," said Jeanne Price, newly elected NCSBA President, Rutherford County. Among other things, the standard defines honey as a honey bee product from plant nectar and prohibits any additives or adulteration if it is to be sold as honey. The country of origin must be identified. And if the honey is marketed from a specific floral source, such as the much acclaimed mountain sourwood, they honey must contain at least 51 percent nectar from that source. "A great deal more sourwood honey has been sold in North Carolina than has actually been produced here," said Dr. John Ambrose, NC State University Professor and former State Apiculturist. "We hope the adoption of this standard will remedy that situation."