Pure, Raw and Pasteurised honey - what's the difference?

Pure Honey

Pure honey simply put is what most people want when they think of honey. It’s been gently filtered to remove impurities such as wax, detritus without adding anything else like syrup or sugar. Leaving the honey with the flavour and beneficial properties.

When the honey is filtered, this is done to remove foreign objects but is not so intensive to strip the pollen from the honey - which affects the flavour. If you see ‘filtered honey’ on a label beware as this will usually indicate that the honey has been treated as the latter.

Raw Honey

So what’s Raw Honey? Surely that’s just the stuff straight from the hive without treatment?

Well in the UK there is no such thing as Raw Honey - this is because it is not defined as such in one of the main laws governing honey - The Honey Regulations 2015. Beekeepers and those selling honey cannot use the term for labelling so it’s normally referred to as Pure Honey, although it can get more complicated especially if it’s cut comb - which can be cut comb or chunk honey.

You might hear honey from abroad called Raw Honey, this is because the name has not been governed by the same legislation although when being imported it should be subject to it. Be wary with Raw Honey from aboard as some Beekeepers might sell you the stuff straight from the hive - which while sounds appealing, until you find a bee’s leg or head floating in your jar because it hasn’t been filtered. If in doubt, ask how the honey was prepared.

Pasteurised honey

Pasteurized honey is heated to a high temperature to destroy the yeast in the honey, extending the clear appearance of the honey and making it smoother. This is appealing to big honey producers because it extends the best before date - ideal for stocking in supermarkets, whilst keeping most of the beneficial properties of the honey (if done right by quickly reducing the temperature of the honey afterwards). However, this process can be somewhat controversial with most UK based beekeepers. This is because to pasteurize effectively requires an industrial set up which most do not possess, and if honey is heated too long, destroys many of these beneficial properties hence why most beekeepers advise against it.

Which honey is best?

Pure honey in the UK fills a happy medium where the honey is filtered to remove detritus and wax, which would otherwise make the honey unappealing whilst also keeping the many benefits such as the taste, pollen and general consistency of the honey intact. Pure honey will crystallize over time and can be reverted to a liquid with gentle heating in warm water (avoid high temperatures otherwise you can damage the honey) and will last indefinitely. Some pots of honey were found buried with the ancient Egyptians and still edible thousands of years later!

Pasteurized honey tends to stay in a clear state for longer, looking more appealing to the consumer and can be provided a long shelf life. However, the process of pasteurization if done incorrectly can damage the honey.