Does Honey Need a Seal?

Recently, one of our customers wrote us with a concern. They had purchased some of our Raw Honey, and when they opened it, noticed there was no seal on the jar. They were concerned that if there was supposed to be a seal it had been removed between our facility and their home, and wanted to make sure that the honey was safe to eat.

The good news is that yes, it totally is safe to eat, and no, the seal wasn’t removed!

Honey “Safety” Seals

Honey does not need a safety seal when it is packaged.

There is, however, a foam disc that sits over the honey between our product and the lid. When the lid is twisted off, this disc can get stuck inside the lid. If you flip the lid over, the foam seal is inside the lid (assuming it didn’t stay on top of the honey, that is.)

So, if you’ve ever wondered about this, now you know. The honey is perfectly safe and fine to eat. Did you know that honey has been found in Egyptian tombs, ready to eat?! This sounds amazing, and it is. For a variety of reasons, honey stays good basically forever without being sealed like other foods.

Why Honey Doesn’t Need a Seal

One reason is the sticky environment that honey creates. In order to spoil, something needs to be inside the honey which can spoil. Organisms that get inside honey can’t survive though, and don’t get the chance to spoil.

The second reason is due to the makeup of honey. Honey is naturally acidic – which prevents the growth of bacterias and other potentially spoiling organisms. They are unable to survive, and therefore the honey stays fresh.

There’s also the special properties of nectar itself. While nectar has a lot of water when collected, the bees themselves help dry it out with the flapping of their wings. Bees also have an enzyme in their stomachs called glucose oxidase. When the bees regurgitate the nectar from their mouths into the combs to make honey, this enzyme mixes with the nectar, breaking it down into two by-products: gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide works with the other factors to keep nasty things from growing in the honey.

Can Honey Spoil?

Most honey will not spoil, unlike most foods in your pantry or refrigerator. As mentioned above, honey has been found that is thousands of years old and edible. It is possible, however, for honey to go “bad” if certain conditions are met.

If honey is left unsealed and in a damp environment, it is possible for the honey to spoil. These conditions result in water being absorbed into the honey and can lead to molds or other issues. That process takes time, however, so as long as you’re storing your honey in a container and cool dark place most of the time you’re fine.

Honey also crystallizes over time, and some people mistake this for spoilage. However, it is not spoiled. You can gently warm the honey to reverse the crystallization process.

One Important Exception

Honey can contain spores of Clostridium botulinum under any condition. This is absolutely not harmful to adults of children over a year old – but infants under one year old are susceptible to infant botulism from these spores, so please don’t feed honey to your baby even if it’s been completely stored properly and you followed all the advice.