Crockett Honey, a leading supplier of quality honey based in Tempe, Ariz., is the latest company to achieve certification under the growing True Source Certified ProgramTM, reassuring its honey customers that it can trace the source of its honey back to the hive.
About one-third of honey sold in North America today is now True Source Certified. The program has been applauded by U.S. beekeepers and honey industry leadership. One of the main reasons is that it provides traceability from hive to table, helping ensure the food safety and security of the honey used in this country.
“Our promise for generations has been to provide our customers with a high quality and safe product, so becoming True Source Certified is the logical next step in keeping that promise,” said Crockett President Brian Nipper. “This certification program is really essential today to make sure that when you buy honey, you get the pure and safe product you deserve. It’s a terrific program that we’re proud to support.”
Crockett is a family-owned company that operates 6,500 beehives along the Colorado River in Parker, Ariz., and a bottling facility in Tempe. The company provides a wide range of branded products direct to consumers, private label packing, and wholesale products for food manufacturers and foodservice.
Crockett’s products may now use the True Source Certified logo, and their UPC package codes have been added to a search function on www.TrueSourceHoney.com that allows U.S. shoppers, retailers and manufacturers to be sure that they’re not mistakenly buying honey illegally shipped into the United States that may be adulterated.
Millions of pounds of illegally sourced honey may continue to enter this country, despite continuing federal crack-down efforts. Last year, two of the nation’s largest honey suppliers admitted to buying illegally imported Chinese honey, including some that was adulterated with unauthorized antibiotics.
“The True Source Certified logo tells you that the honey you’re buying was ethically and legally sourced,” says True Source Honey Executive Director Gordon Marks. “If you don’t see the logo, ask your retailer or honey company to join the program. And make sure that your favorite foods with honey – from breakfast cereals to snacks – are made by a manufacturer that purchases honey from a True Source Certified honey company.”
The U.S. imports more than 60% of the honey it needs from other countries. Most is from high-quality, legal sources. But some honey brokers and importers illegally circumvent tariffs and quality controls, selling honey to U.S. companies that is of questionable origin. This threatens the U.S. honey industry by undercutting fair market prices and damaging honey’s reputation for quality and safety.