[LMB] OT: old honey

[Mark Allums]

Agnes Charrel-Berthillier wrote:
> On Jan 22, 2008, at 6:27 PM, Mark Allums <mark at allums.com> wrote:
>> Also, don't feed it to very young children--it's a choke
>> hazard.
> 
> I thought that the prohibition against honey for infants under one  
> year old was because of the (very low) risk of botulism?

I believe this is also mostly a wives' tale, but with some merit. 
Botulin microorganisms can grow in nearly any medium.  An anaerobic 
medium causes the production of some very toxic stuff.  But botulism is 
a poison, not an infection.  The toxin produces paralysis.  I suppose 
that a very young child could be vulnerable.  So, to answer your 
question, perhaps there is more than one reason to not feed a very young 
person honey.  Does anyone else have any expertise in this area?

While I am here, I confess that while I am certain that honey not be fed 
to hummingbirds, I am less certain as to why.  The saccharine hypothesis 
I am not sure of.  I am afraid that the reasons may be conflated. 
"Don't feed honey to hummingbirds, don't feed saccharine to 
hummingbirds."  Someone sometime may have confused the two, and 
perpetuated a myth that honey contains saccharine.

Anyway, old honey is usually perfectly good.  I am told that honey has 
been found in Egyptian tombs, and though crystallized, of course, was 
found to be edible.

--Mark Allums