Is Costco Honey Real?
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. However, there have been concerns that some of the honey stocked in most retail stores, such as Costco, is not real.
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 the 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 if you want 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 you are purchasing natural honey.
Manuka Honey
Costco’s Manuka honey is a New Zealand product known for its purity, potency, and authenticity.
Manuka honey has become quite popular due to its believed benefits. Because of this, Costco stocks different types of Manuka honey.
The Manuka honey is labeled “raw, wild & unpasteurized” on the product packaging 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
Brazil’s organic raw honey is available at Costco. This Kirkland Signature organic raw honey has the USDA Organic and True Source Certified labels on the packaging.
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 products.
According to some experts, you can tell if the honey is 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, it will have 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, showing that most honey has filtered the pollen.
You can also 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, 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 confirms that if honey is imported, it is labeled according to its 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, and size of the honey.
Manuka honey is the most expensive, thanks to its growing popularity. If you buy the 1 kg option, the honey goes for $49.99, and the 500g costs $39.99.
The other brands are much cheaper. For instance, a 680g Kirkland Organic Raw Honey bottle costs $20.49.
On the other hand, a 5-lb 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.
Costco imports honey from New Zealand, Brazil, and Argentina.
These honey products have a True Source Verified label to confirm their country of origin.
Ian Colbeck is a writer for Costco Food Database. Born in Seattle and living in Salt Lake City. Ian enjoys everything outdoors.