FDA Sends Nasty Warning Letter to Honey Company
July 5th, 2013 // 6:55 pm @ jmpickett
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Did you ever think that a jar of honey could be construed to be a drug? If you promote honey for treating allergies and arthritis, as far as the FDA says, you are saying that your honey is a drug and it is going to need to be approved as such.
This week FDA sent a warning letter to the North Dallas Honey Company for the way it is marketing its Nature Nate’s honey products on their website.
The manufacturer claims that its 100% pure honey can be used to help with arthritis and it provides a recipe that provides for 1 cup of hot water with 2 spoonfuls of honey, and a teaspoon of cinnamon.
Note that this website is entirely in Spanish, but that did not seem to prevent FDA from taking notice of unsubstantiated drug claims.
The website also boasts about how this organic honey can be used to treat allergies. In fact the site claims in Spanish that this honey has been used in some families to totally get rid of allergies.
So, it is not surprising that FDA made the decision that the claims that are being made on the site and in labeling make the product to claim to be a drug.
FDA decided to act when the honey company had the nerve after an FDA audit to promise to remove all references to the health benefits of honey from the labeling. But, it would not do it for another 9 months, until its inventory of labeling was exhausted.
Last month, after the company promised it would change the claims on the site, FDA checked on the website and still found that the illegal drug claims were being made in Spanish.
So, if you wondered if FDA has people on staff who speak Spanish, now you know.
