Honey trade tainted by dirty dealings as some Chinese makers try to skirt US import taxes

Chinese honey trade tainted by dirty dealings

BEIJING — A Chinese businessman has been convicted of trying to get around U.S. import taxes by sending 15 shipping containers of cut-rate honey to the Philippines to be relabeled and sent on to the United States.

The practice called honey-laundering is just one of many unsavory acts besmirching China’s honey industry.

China produces about 660 million pounds of honey a year, making it the world’s No. 1 producer. But stocks are tainted with antibiotics and experts say it’s hard to maintain quality when most manufacturers are poor and uneducated.

Competing American beekepers are calling for tougher measures against honey cheats like Yan Yongxiang, who’s awaiting sentencing in an Illinois jail.