Costco is one of the biggest retailers in the world, well-known for selling products at discounted prices. This retailer stocks almost everything you need for your household, including honey.
That being the case, since honey is a big seller, many shoppers might be wondering- is Costco honey real? Here’s what I discovered from my research!
Is Costco Honey Real in [currentyear]?
Costco honey is True Source Certified, meaning that it’s real. While Costco sources some of the honey from countries such as Brazil, New Zealand, and Argentina, some of it is from local beekeepers in [currentyear]. However, there have been concerns that some of the honey stocked in most retail stores such as Costco is not real.
Read on for more information about Costco’s honey, the different brands available, and whether it’s real, along with other related facts!
What Types of Honey Are Available at Costco?
Costco stocks the following types of honey brands:
Clover Honey
Costco sells clover honey produced in the U.S. Sourced from Pacific Northwest; this clover honey has a light and mild confectionary sweetness.
According to Costco, this honey is regionally sourced; therefore, it’s 100% pure honey if you are looking for a sustainable option.
Kirkland Signature Wild Flower Honey
Costco also sells Wild Flower honey under its private label brand Kirkland Signature.
This honey is from Argentina and is True Source Certified; therefore, you can be sure that you are purchasing natural honey.
Manuka Honey
Costco’s Manuka honey is a product of New Zealand, known for its purity, potency, and authenticity.
Manuka honey has become quite popular due to the belief that it has some great benefits, so because of its popularity, Costco stocks different types of Manuka honey.
On the product packaging, the Manuka honey is labeled “raw, wild & unpasteurized” to signify that it’s not filtered.
In addition, this honey is non-GMO, certified gluten-free, glyphosate-free, Kosher, and Halal.
Kirkland Signature Organic Raw Honey
Organic raw honey at Costco is a product of Brazil. On the packaging label, this Kirkland Signature organic raw honey has the USDA Organic and True Source Certified labels.
How Do I Know If Costco Honey Is Real?
If you buy honey, there are several ways to detect if the product is fake and if it has been stripped of all the nutrients, pollen, enzymes, and vitamins found in natural honey.
When shopping at Costco, you need to look at the labels on the honey brands.
According to some experts, you can tell if the honey is purely raw and real or pasteurized just by looking at it.
Pure raw honey has no additives and hasn’t undergone ultra-filtering or extensive heating, the latter of which removes beeswax and debris.
If nothing has been added to the honey, you’ll notice that it has a cloudy appearance because it has not undergone filtering or heating.
However, if you can see through the honey, it might not be pure raw.
Additionally, raw or natural honey contains pollen. Therefore, if the honey goes through ultra-filtering, the pollen is removed, which is also used to hide the product’s origin.
Most honey producers mix their honey with corn syrup. This means the product is not pure raw honey, even if the label says the opposite.
In 2011, Food Safety News tested honey samples from most retailers, including Costco, which showed that most honey has the pollen filtered out.
As well, you can check whether the honey is real and if it has a True Source Verified label.
This verification was introduced to prevent brokers from flooding the U.S. with cheap and poor-quality honey that undercuts fair marketing prices.
This True Source program verifies that the honey is real and has not been adulterated with syrup or sugar.
In addition, it also confirms that if the honey is imported, it is labeled according to the country of origin.
Therefore, when purchasing honey products from Costco, check how the product looks to avoid buying filtered products.
What Is the Cost of Costco Honey?
Overall, Costco honey is affordable; however, the prices vary depending on the brand, type of honey, and size.
Manuka honey is the most expensive, thanks to its growing popularity. If you buy the 1Kg option, the honey goes for $49.99, and the 500g costs $39.99.
If you want to buy the other brands, they’re much cheaper. For instance, a 680g bottle of Kirkland Organic Raw Honey costs $20.49.
On the other hand, a 5lbs container of Kirkland Signature Wild Flower honey costs $20.99. Therefore, the costs will change depending on the particular brand you need.
Where Does Costco Honey Come From?
Costco sources some of its honey from the U.S. However, since the supplies are not enough to meet the market demand, some of the honey is imported from other countries.
For the imported honey, Costco gets it from countries such as New Zealand, Brazil, and Argentina.
These honey products have a True Source Verified label to confirm their country of origin.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on what hot dogs does Costco use, is Costco meat halal, and is Costco rotisserie chicken gluten-free.
Conclusion
Costco honey is True Source Certified; therefore, it’s real. While Costco sources some of the honey from countries such as Brazil, New Zealand, and Argentina, some of it is from local beekeepers.
However, there have been concerns that some of the honey stocked in most retail stores such as Costco is not real.
So, to check whether the honey you want to buy is real, check the labels and how it appears. If the honey is too clear without any pollen, it has likely been filtered.
Thank you for this explanation. It was very helpful and informative.