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HoneyBees.ca commissioned freelance writer Rebecca Melnyk to investigate and report about Health Canada's 2011 ads on infant botulism.
Concern over Health Canada's Misleading Ads about Honey
by Rebecca Melnyk
Tibor Szabo Jr, father, professional beekeeper, and former Vice-President of the Ontario Beekeepers Association, is still buzzing from ads published by Health Canada that linked honey to infant botulism. "The ads were silly and misleading. They didn’t point out how miniscule the risk of contaminated honey is," he said.
Ogilvy Montreal Inc. designed the ads through an open competitive process for last year's Children’s Health and Safety Campaign administered by Health Canada. The ads ran for four months and, in the process, shook up the beekeeping community with giant pictures of a honey squeeze-bottle crossed out with a large red line. The focus of the ad, "you should never give honey to a child under 1," was written beneath the picture in small print. Instead of infant botulism, honey looked like the target. Instead of the myriad of other substances linked to botulism, honey was the only product singled out.
When Health Canada was questioned about why honey was targeted, Media Relations Officer, Olivia Caron, replied: "In Canada, the only food that has been proven to be linked to infant botulism is honey; therefore Health Canada is advising parents and caregivers not to feed honey to children under one year of age. This position was first issued through a health warning in November 1985, following the first case of infant botulism in Canada linked to the consumption of honey."
Infant botulism is caused by bacteria called Clostridium botulinum which commonly exists in nature. The bacteria cannot grow or make toxins in honey, but if an infant swallows honey contaminated with spores of the bacteria, the spores may grow and produce toxins in the baby's body and could cause paralysis. Szabo says, "If they're going to single out honey, then what about corn syrup which could also potentially contain these same spores?"
Honey is rarely the means by which children under one may be exposed to botulism. Dr. John Austin, Research Scientist and Chair of the Botulism Reference Service for Canada states, "There have been very few cases of infant botulism in Canada that have been linked to honey consumption. In the majority of cases, a source of C. botulinum spores is never determined. Dust and soil are high factors in cases where the spores haven't been linked to anything." Does this mean that Health Canada should have created ads targeting construction sites or dusty basements? According to their website, 38 cases of infant botulism have been reported in Canada since 1979. In only "2 or 3 of these cases, the discovered spores have been linked to honey," confirms Austin, numbers which account for less than 8 percent of cases. Still, "honey is the only food that has been linked to infant botulism."
Why was honey and botulism chosen to be the target of this specific part of the campaign? Caron stated that they wanted the campaign to "be effective," so "extensive testing was performed on six focus groups across the country. Based on this research, a list of topics was devised and tested with Canadian parents." Out of the topics listed, "the honey concept was the most effective print ad concept." Caron further stated that the aim of the campaign was to "increase Canadian parents' awareness and access to information as well as to encourage them to visit Healthycanadians.gc.ca/kids a one-stop source of information to protect children."
Listed on the website are countless other potential threats to infants. It is also suggested that by six months of age, babies can begin to be introduced to solid foods such as meat. Yet, there is no mention of avoiding seal meat, a common cause of botulism in adults. It is further mentioned that water used for feeding infants under four months of age should be brought to a rolling boil for two minutes and then cooled to make sure it is sterile and will not make a baby sick. No ads circulated during the campaign displayed a crossed out water bottle.
What was intended to be an "effective" ad shocked beekeepers only months before the UN declared that the decline of honey bees is a global problem. Pesticides, parasites, viruses, and the modern transformation of rural landscapes have resulted in colony collapse around the world. Szabo believes that the ads, displayed in malls and consumer magazines, took away from the urgency of protecting honey bees.
"Honey is how I make my living," says Szabo. "More importantly, it's about the survival of our planet." Honey bees are essential crop pollinators. Pollination Guelph, a leading group in Canada dedicated to promoting the appreciation and understanding of pollinators, states that one out of every three mouthfuls of food we eat and of the beverages we drink is delivered to us by pollinators. Honey bees are the most important managed pollinators in Canada, responsible for producing fruits, nuts, and seeds which are a critical part of many animals' diets. Approximately 1,000 of the estimated 1,330 global crop plants cultivated for food, beverages, fibers, condiments, spices and medicines depend on pollination by animals. Without honey bees, humanity would experience mass starvation.
Many opportunities exist to help support honey production. During focus testing for the campaign, it was demonstrated that food and nutrition (including food safety, food allergies and junk food) are major concerns for parents of children aged 12 and younger. If junk food was a major worry, honey could have been promoted because it is the "healthiest sweetener around," says Szabo. In 2008, Health Canada published a report requiring manufacturers to relabel over-the-counter cough and cold medicines to indicate that these medicines should not be used in children under 6. Szabo says, "Honey is the best cough syrup; it's natural and has been used for centuries." However, the report ignores honey as a suitable replacement.
When asked if their infant botulism prevention ads could have been designed with more clarity, Caron replied that since the ads were run, they have "received input from various stakeholders and have adjusted their messaging, moving forward to better communicate the fact that the botulism concern is specific to children under one, and that there are no safety concerns with older children or adults consuming honey.
Szabo declares this adjustment isn’t good enough: "They need to reverse the misconception by promoting Canadian honey. Advertise it. Tell people to buy honey. Support honey bees. Without them, there's no food or future for mankind."
Jack Daniel’s Tennesse Honey tastes good! It is a blend of Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey and honey liqueur made from fine local US honey. It is distilled in Tennessee. On September 28th, 2011, Jack Daniel’s Tennesse Honey was launched in Toronto and we were lucky to bee a part of it!
The black carpet.
Cracking the lid.
Inside the hive.
“It has long been known that successfully foraging Western honey bees perform a dance on their return to the hive, known as waggle dance, indicating that food is farther away, while the round dance is a short version of the waggle dance, indicating that food is nearby. The laden forager dances on the comb in a circular pattern, occasionally crossing the circle in a zig-zag or waggle pattern.” – Wikipedia
Cheers!
Jeff Norman, Jack Daniel’s Master Taster, raises a glass of Tennessee Honey.
Until you’ve tasted Jack Daniel’s Tennesse Honey, you don’t know Jack.
Yesterday was press day at the Ex, so the Szabo Queens team, led by Tibor P Szabo, put on a show for the media that gathered in front of the Press Building.
In a tent, a queen bee in a cage was tied to Tibor’s chin and worker bees were shaken onto his chest.
The bees crawled up to surround their queen and form a beard on Tibor’s face.
Tibor emerged from the tent with a full face of clustering honey bees.
He then fielded questions from the many reporters, discussed the benefits of local Canadian honey, and posed for photographs.
Today, the Szabo Queens team is setting up the display which will be our biggest and best exhibit since we began promoting honey bees at the CNE six years ago. Please visit us to learn about bees and bee products and support Ontario honey producers!
Daniel Szabo and Tibor P Szabo
Tibor P Szabo spent Saturday afternoon at Clovermead Bees & Honey, near Aylmer (ON), where he took part in their Annual Bee-Beard Competition. He won the “Crowd Pleaser” award, but lost the judging for bee weight and beard form to Albert de Vries of St. Thomas, Ontario. Tibor’s beard weighed in at 4.5 lbs, while Albert’s beard weighed 5.0 lbs. Find out more about the competition here.
Run by the Hiemstra family, Clovermead offers an Adventure Farm, Settlement with Heritage Buildings, Honey Gift Shop, and Apiary Tours. If you are passing by the London/Woodstock Ontario area in the summertime, you will want to follow the signs on the 401 and head to Clovermead to find out what’s buzzing!
Here are some photos from the competition:
Sign reads “Bee Beard Huts: The site of our annual bee beard competition. Each hut will be screened and contain a hive of bees and two beekeepers. To feel the itch and see the close shave you need to bee here.”
The Elgin Oxford Middlesex Beekeepers Club and Bee Beard Champion Trophy
Chris Hiemstra (left) introduces and weighs the contestants.
Tibor in his tent starting a smoker.
Tibor’s groomer attaches the caged queen bee to his chin.
The bees are shaken onto newspaper.
The bees are gently scooped and dumped onto the Tibor’s chest.
The bees are encouraged to walk up the Tibor’s chest and form a beard. Tibor’s neice oversees from the other side of the screened hut.
Tibor is ready to make his way back to the stage for judging.
On the way he stops to give out hugs.
Tibor makes it to the stage…
…and greets his fellow contestants.
After all contestants are re-weighed and march up and down the catwalk, Albert de Vries is announced the Champion!
Tibor is awarded the Crowd Pleaser plaque!
Albert de Vries with his trophy.
After the judging the contestants pose for photos with spectators.
Our planet is an ecosystem. Just like the many plants that honey bees pollinate, as species, we have co-evolved along with honey bees in a symbiotic relationship. Our bodies digest honey more readily than any other sweetener. Honey has antioxidant and antibacterial properties – it may prevent cancer and doesn’t spoil or go bad. It is evident that honey is a perfect sweetener for human consumption, but is honey vegan?
If you are vegan, as in someone who tries to do the least harm to sentient creatures and does not use or consume animal products wherever practical, then you will be pleased to know that honey is vegan. Honey bees are also vegan by this definition. The sole food source of adult honey bees is honey created from the nectar of flowers. Honey bees in the larval phase consume pollen harvested from flowers by adult bees.
Apples, cherries, blueberries, almonds, onions, celery, etc, etc, etc (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_plants_pollinated_by_bees) are all pollinated by honey bees. Due to predators, parasites, diseases, winter, and weather, true feral honey bee colonies do not exist in most of the world and without beekeepers, there would be no honey bees. Beekeepers serve, guide, and protect their bees. They DO NOT want bees to die and do everything that they can to keep bees as happy and healthy as possible. If you question the veganism of honey, you may also wish to question if apples, cherries, blueberries, almonds, onions, celery, etc, etc are vegan. Without honey bees, these fruits, nuts, and vegetables would be a rarity and extreme luxury.
Pesticides, purposely and deliberately used in the production of many fruits, nuts, and vegetables, are often blamed as a major contributor to honey bee colony collapse disorder. Pests are also killed in organic farming, even though chemical pesticides are not used. When you consider this, honey may be a “more vegan” food than apples as fewer animals are hurt or killed in it’s production.
It is finally legal to keep bees in New York City!
Read more in the New York Times. Congratulations to the New York City Beekeeper’s Association! Hopefully the actions of your members and the resultant legalization of beekeeping in NYC will encourage other community groups to petition their local governments to protect honey bees and ensure that it is not against the law for these beneficial insects to live and be cared for in our communities.
photo: A patch of star thistle in the foreground, a patch of goldenrod in the background among apple trees, pear trees, grape vines, wild asters and other wildflowers. Also note the beautiful clover and dandelion plants making the lawn greener. (Click on image to see enlarged.)
These are some photos that I took this summer of my father’s backyard. He always plants patches of bee friendly flowers throughout his property. This year, as a research project and for fun, he tagged flowers in a patch of star thistles at the start of their bloom and recorded how many consecutive days each individual blossom would remain open. These amazing looking patches of plants demonstrate a massive untapped potential waiting to be harnessed wherever manicured monoculture lawns prevail.
Some reasons why people should be planting gardens or patches of nectar and pollen producing flowers include:
they require far less maintenance than the average lawn
they can be used to produce fruit, vegetables, herbs, etc. for consumption
they are far more eco-friendly than a manicured lawn
they are fun to observe and interesting to study
they look awesome
photo: Star thistle tagged so that bloom duration can be measured.
Cheers!
