Local beekeeper wants state to set standards for honey

Rice said manufacturers heat honey to 150 degrees to mix in the corn syrup, which kills live enzymes in honey that he said can help people with allergies.

A Frederick County honey producer wants the state to enact standards for the sweet substance.

Byron Rice, owner of Lord Byron's Honey near Thurmont , said much of the honey sold in stores is mixed with high-fructose corn syrup or cane sugar but labeled as honey.

"What that does is deceive the public into thinking they are buying real honey, but they're not," Rice said. "Us beekeepers who produce honey, we cannot compete with the pricing of honey mixed with high-fructose corn syrup or cane sugar."

Rice is advocating for the state to follow Florida and California in enacting its own standards, rather than wait for the federal Food and Drug Administration to act.

Read More