Just like you can't throw yellow spread in a tub and call it butter (but you exclaim how close it tastes), you can no longer add sugar to honey and still call it honey, Web MD reported. The new law was announced by the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday (though the actual rules still need to be finalized).
Instead of using the term honey, companies using artificial honey or a mixture of it and other substances must label it accordingly, such as "blend of sugar and honey" or "blend of honey and corn syrup." The change was enacted in part through the efforts of the American Beekeeping Federation and similar organizations, according to boston.com.
Sugar and honey have nearly the same number of calories and are digested by the body in a similar fashion. In fact, sugar comprises a good deal of honey's make-up. The difference is that honey has a host of health benefits from its other elements.
"...with raw honey you might get more vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties," Alicia Romano, a clinical registered dietitian at the Frances Stern Nutrition Center at Tufts Medical Center, told boston.com.
"Sugar is sugar and should be treated that way," Romano added. "There's still a lot of research that needs to be done to compare sugars and additives, but for people who are trying to get away from table sugar and sugar substitutes such as Stevia or Splenda, a teaspoon or two of natural honey added to unsweetened Greek yogurt, on top of oatmeal, and added to smoothies with berries, greens, and yogurt is a way to use honey that's portion controlled and not adding extra sugar or calories."
