Labels - so how can this possibly be legal?

Shop deals on ebay
shop deals on amazon
BS Honey Bees
Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum

Help Support Beekeeping & Apiculture Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
This was sent to operations director and head of PR at the B B K A
Dear Jane, Gill,

We as Bee keepers are held to strict labelling laws to preserve the value in the term Honey. Now big business is cashing in on the reserved description by calling their products “honey” when they are not .
The example below “Three Barrels Honey “ a honey flavoured drink, is one which I have now complained to my MP, trading standards. Radio 4 You and Yours consumer affairs programme as well as the supermarkets Tesco and Morrisons. I am asking other beekeepers to do the same on Beekeeping websites and social media. You may wish to complain on the BBKA behalf as well. Beekeepers and bees have striven to protect this term Honey now its being stolen to :“capitalise on a flavour profile that’s dominating consumer interest “
This takeover is deliberate here is quote from www.hospitalityandcateringnews.com
Brand Manager for Three Barrels Honey, Paul Curry commented: “Experimental flavours are taking hold across most consumer goods and the spirits category is no stranger to this burgeoning trend. New product development and brand flavour extensions are driving market growth and it’s the sweeter profiles that are dominating overall. Honey is the flavour that’s captured consumer attention and is growing at over 1000%. Innovation in Brandy has been lacking and the category still has the second oldest demographic profile, so now is the ideal time to launch Three Barrels Honey and create excitement in this area.

Action is required.

Regards
Derek Mitchell
http://www.thedrinksreport.com/news/2014/15531-three-barrels-honey-launched-in-uk.html
http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=285323274
https://groceries.morrisons.com/web...&isFreshSearch=true&entry=three+barrels+honey
http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2014/07/william-grant-unveils-three-barrels-honey/
http://www.hospitalityandcateringne...-grant-sons-uk-innovates-three-barrels-honey/
 
itma said:
The stuff is on offer for £12 at Asda.
Flagged up on hotukdeals…
Click to expand...
Has that title been amended? It's now "Three Barrels Brandy with honey..." on the hotukdeals web site. Which is still not strictly correct, as pointed out it's honey flavouring. But at least it's recognised as brandy.

However try searching for "honey" on the Asda site and there it is. Number 1 of 239 items, ahead of all the Gales, Wilkin and Rowse jars of actual honey. The text description on the Asda site, by the way, is just a boilerplate applicable to any product. At no point is there anything that suggests it's not actual honey other than a picture of a bottle with a neck. The picture doesn't have anything readable beyond the headline Three Barrels Honey
 
Last edited:
I have been in contact with the legal dept of the scottish whiskey association telling them of the antics of one of their members. I drew the parallel of us flavouring our honey with whiskey flavouring and calling it "Dereks MALT WHISKY"
ingedients Honey and whiskey flavouring. Tey are going to mention it to William Grants.

So far we have
  • Jack Daniels Honey
  • Jim beam Honey
  • Three barrels Honey
  • Celtic Honey
  • Bushmills irish honey

Visit their websites ,facebook pages , twitter and tell them what you think of them pirating the good name of your valuable product

JimBeamHoneyBourbonAlcoholicDrink.jpg
bushmills-irish-honey.jpg
image-00.jpg
 
Last edited:
I bought some date honey by the Dead Sea the other day. I'd best hide it from the honey police on this forum. It's a syrup made from dates, and is said to be the "honey" referred to in the description of "a land of milk and honey."
I did spot what I thought were hives in some of the date palm oases, so perhaps there are bees that just work those trees.
 
Think I'll be sticking to honey flavoured mead!

I'm surprised tho' that no-one has commented on this bit:

Brand Manager for Three Barrels Honey, Paul Curry commented: “... Honey is the flavour that’s captured consumer attention and is growing at over 1000%...."

Time to go into mead production??

(I keep wondering why mead is so underrated...)
 
Sent to the Radio 4 today programme
Dear Today Programme,

Honeybees and the honey , they make are big news and big brand value. The description Honey is restricted and this is enshrined in law the 2006 honey regulations, but now big drinks companies in the U.S. and the UK (e.g. Brown-Forman W. Grant & Sons) are ignoring the UK law around this by calling their drinks “honey” examples are “Three Barrells Honey”, “Wild Turkey Honey”, “Jack Daniels Honey”. The name is in big type and in very fine print they tell you it’s only flavoured.
It’s worth a lot of money :Brand Manager for Three Barrels Honey, Paul Curry commented: “Honey is the flavour that’s captured consumer attention and is growing at over 1000%. “
So despite the protection of 2006 Honey Regulations , the term honey is now being diluted into an alcoholic drink. When I contacted my MP Hon James Arbuthnot MP for North East Hampshire, his office was very lukewarm on the issue, but when I told them that if honey laws can be got round by small print on the bottle, then so can Malt whiskey they replied “shall raise your points with the Minister at the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, on Mr Arbuthnot’s behalf.” W.M. Grant distillers the owners of “Three barrels Honey” are members of the Scottish Whiskey Association. The Whiskey Association legal department was interested when I said that their member was allowing the equivalent of my selling a honey with whiskey flavour as “Derek’s Malt Whiskey” and this would undermine their stance. They said they would contact W.M. Grant on the matter. Jane Moseley Operations Director/General Secretary Of the British Beekeepers' Association is raising this issue with BBKA executive.
 
I was at Bushmill's last year and apparently they use real honey, as it comes from the west/southwest of Ireland.

derekm said:
I have been in contact with the legal dept of the scottish whiskey association telling them of the antics of one of their members. I drew the parallel of us flavouring our honey with whiskey flavouring and calling it "Dereks MALT WHISKY"
ingedients Honey and whiskey flavouring. Tey are going to mention it to William Grants.

So far we have
  • Jack Daniels Honey
  • Jim beam Honey
  • Three barrels Honey
  • Celtic Honey
  • Bushmills irish honey

Visit their websites ,facebook pages , twitter and tell them what you think of them pirating the good name of your valuable product

JimBeamHoneyBourbonAlcoholicDrink.jpg
bushmills-irish-honey.jpg
image-00.jpg
Click to expand...
 
I contact William Grants myself and will let you know of any response.

derekm said:
Sent to the Radio 4 today programme
Dear Today Programme,

Honeybees and the honey , they make are big news and big brand value. The description Honey is restricted and this is enshrined in law the 2006 honey regulations, but now big drinks companies in the U.S. and the UK (e.g. Brown-Forman W. Grant & Sons) are ignoring the UK law around this by calling their drinks “honey” examples are “Three Barrells Honey”, “Wild Turkey Honey”, “Jack Daniels Honey”. The name is in big type and in very fine print they tell you it’s only flavoured.
It’s worth a lot of money :Brand Manager for Three Barrels Honey, Paul Curry commented: “Honey is the flavour that’s captured consumer attention and is growing at over 1000%. “
So despite the protection of 2006 Honey Regulations , the term honey is now being diluted into an alcoholic drink. When I contacted my MP Hon James Arbuthnot MP for North East Hampshire, his office was very lukewarm on the issue, but when I told them that if honey laws can be got round by small print on the bottle, then so can Malt whiskey they replied “shall raise your points with the Minister at the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, on Mr Arbuthnot’s behalf.” W.M. Grant distillers the owners of “Three barrels Honey” are members of the Scottish Whiskey Association. The Whiskey Association legal department was interested when I said that their member was allowing the equivalent of my selling a honey with whiskey flavour as “Derek’s Malt Whiskey” and this would undermine their stance. They said they would contact W.M. Grant on the matter. Jane Moseley Operations Director/General Secretary Of the British Beekeepers' Association is raising this issue with BBKA executive.
Click to expand...
 
Please post this on every xxx honey facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/jackdanielshoney?fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wild-Turkey-American-Honey/633784686648884?fref=ts


A honeybee's entire life goes into gathering a single drop of honey it makes so precious so its right that Honey is a protected product name and products ending in honey must be 100% from honeybee gathered flower nectar according to

http://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/multimedia/pdfs/honeyguidance.pdf
This product ignores the value of the honeybees effort for corporate gain and risks court action... Trading standards have been informed
 
Just seen an advert on the telly for Jack Daniels Tennessee honey. Yet another infringement of Honey's protected status? This seems to be getting out of hand.
 
derekm said:
Sent to the Radio 4 today programme
Dear Today Programme,

Honeybees and the honey , they make are big news and big brand value. The description Honey is restricted and this is enshrined in law the 2006 honey regulations, but now big drinks companies in the U.S. and the UK (e.g. Brown-Forman W. Grant & Sons) are ignoring the UK law around this by calling their drinks “honey” examples are “Three Barrells Honey”, “Wild Turkey Honey”, “Jack Daniels Honey”. The name is in big type and in very fine print they tell you it’s only flavoured.
It’s worth a lot of money :Brand Manager for Three Barrels Honey, Paul Curry commented: “Honey is the flavour that’s captured consumer attention and is growing at over 1000%. “
So despite the protection of 2006 Honey Regulations , the term honey is now being diluted into an alcoholic drink. When I contacted my MP Hon James Arbuthnot MP for North East Hampshire, his office was very lukewarm on the issue, but when I told them that if honey laws can be got round by small print on the bottle, then so can Malt whiskey they replied “shall raise your points with the Minister at the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, on Mr Arbuthnot’s behalf.” W.M. Grant distillers the owners of “Three barrels Honey” are members of the Scottish Whiskey Association. The Whiskey Association legal department was interested when I said that their member was allowing the equivalent of my selling a honey with whiskey flavour as “Derek’s Malt Whiskey” and this would undermine their stance. They said they would contact W.M. Grant on the matter. Jane Moseley Operations Director/General Secretary Of the British Beekeepers' Association is raising this issue with BBKA executive.
Click to expand...

Point of order:
Whiskey is Irish, Scots produce Whisky.
They would probably get as upset at the mis-spelling as some here are at the mis-use of honey.
 
derekm said:
Visit their websites ,facebook pages , twitter and tell them what you think of them pirating the good name of your valuable product[/SIZE]
Click to expand...

Jack Daniels Honey
https://www.facebook.com/jackdanielshoneyuk

Jim Bean Honey
https://www.facebook.com/JimBeamUK

Celtic Honey
https://www.facebook.com/CelticHoneyIrishLiqueur

Bushmills irish honey
https://www.facebook.com/BushmillsUKIreland

I've found posts to companies Facebook walls which the public can view tend to get a better response than private messages or letters. A cluster of wall posts from forum readers and users should get their attention pretty quickly.
 
It may prove that it's perfectly legal for them to call their product Honey.
Note the product name is honey or Irish honey or American honey. The other bit is brand or company name. There should. Be an . answer from trading standards on Monday . If that's the case then we need to ask the politicians why this so. Please ignore my previous messages and take no action until the position is clarified. Any unfounded accusations of illegality could result in them taking legal action against those posting.
 
And I was just about to trade my wife in because she's not really made of honey ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

R
Hello from Royal Honey, need help!
Replies
7
Views
1K
Ian123
Ian123

Latest posts

Back
Top