"Natural" and "pure"

Definition

Honey is, by legal definition, a product to which nothing may be added and from which nothing (other than by permitted filtering) may be removed. Anything sold lawfully as honey is therefore already pure honey, and 'pure' distinguishes a jar from nothing at all. 'Natural' has no agreed definition in this context either.

Where the word gets used loosely

These words appear most prominently on the most heavily processed products, which is the reverse of what a shopper would infer. They are compatible with pasteurisation, ultrafiltration and multi-country blending. The useful questions are which flower, which country, which apiary — all of which are checkable.

Guide records that discuss this

• Creamed, set and whipped honeyCreamed honey has nothing added and nothing whipped into it. It is ordinary honey whose crystallisation has been controlled instead of left to chance, and the technique is a hundred years old.