Natural (functional) foods that offer positive health benefits are rapidly growing in popularity. Gone is the era of blind consumption; today, it's about what each product promises to 'do' for the buyer.
Therefore, it comes as no surprise that because of honey’s high nutritional value and therapeutic health properties, bee products are attracting more of a loyal following daily and re-entering our markets as the hero ingredient of choice.
The use of honey for nutritional and medicinal purposes is not a recent trend by any means, stretching back almost 5500 years. Today, several honey bee products are gaining attention for their potential therapeutic compounds, showing promise in the management of conditions like cancer and various infections caused by bacteria, viruses, and parasites.
Beyond the nutritional appeal, a growing number of consumers are also becoming aware of the declining bee populations and express a desire in supporting regenerative and sustainable bee-friendly causes and products.
Honey's Regenerative Impact on Health & Beauty
Anti Aging & Skin Health
Honey has high levels of antioxidants that act as a natural anti-aging compound to help prevent wrinkles and maintain a youthful complexion.
The antifungal nature of honey can aid in the treatment of seborrheic dermatitis and dandruff while addressing the redness and itching that accompanies each condition. Beyond skincare, its ability to promote cellular growth and regeneration opens doors for crafting effective hair growth products and skin remedies that can be used to heal and minimize acne scars.
Natural Antiseptic
With this, it can act as a natural antiseptic as it has humectant (a substance that promotes the retention of moisture) and emollient (softens and smooths skin) properties. It also has antimicrobial, antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties.
Cancer
Several honey bee products have been identified as sources of compounds with therapeutic potential in the management of cancer and infections. These products include: honey, bee pollen, royal jelly, propolis, beeswax, bee bread, and bee venom.
Bee Based Therapy(s)
Bee pollen’s composition is highly variable but includes vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates. It is commonly marketed as a dietary supplement and is claimed to have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties similar to honey. It is also supported to be beneficial for cancer, arthritis, and improve athletic performance.
Propolis, a sticky resin collected by bees from plants, has been used by humans topically for treatment of wounds, skin ulcers, rashes, and in oral forms as therapy for diabetes, obesity, cancer, and other conditions.
Apitherapy, involving the injection of bee venom into the human body, has been used in alternative medicine for more than 5000 years. Bee venom contains several active molecules such as peptides and enzymes that have advantageous potential in treating inflammation and central nervous system diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Additionally, bee venom has shown promising benefits against different types of cancer as well as antiviral activity, even against HIV.
Bee Products
Honey's strategic role in innovative recipe formulation is evident in its diverse applications, spanning culinary experiments to skincare formulations. Leading brands leverage their natural appeal and health benefits, illustrating honey's influence on product evolution and consumer trends.
Bee Products in Food and Cooking
Honey has been commonly used as a sweetener for ages, especially by those conscientious of health who favor its lower glycemic index than refined sugar.
With the growing knowledge of honey’s natural benefits, the range of products using it has greatly increased.
Trendsetting Hot Honey: Hot Honey has been arguably one of the biggest trends in the use of honey for food-related purposes in recent years. Mike’s Hot Honey created a new condiment category through their simple formula (honey, chilies, vinegar).
Innovative Ketchup: Hellman’s has ketchup that is sweetened only with honey.
Refreshing Beverage: Honey Green Tea by Honest integrates honey into a healthy drink choice.
Confectionary Pioneer: Brach’s Candy Corn was ahead of its time when it began using honey in their confectionary products during the post-World War II era, and they continue to do so today.
Charitable Almond Butter: Justin’s Honey Almond Butter not only uses honey but has tied their brand to a good cause. Every purchase of Honey Almond Butter goes toward pollinator conservation and the company has been very vocal in shining a spotlight on the importance of honey bees and pollinators.
Snack Bars: KIND has used honey as a primary ingredient in most of its bars, including the best-seller: Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt. Through their use and promotion of honey as a better option than other sweeteners, KIND has elevated honey’s overall perception to consumers who are looking for whole food nutrition made from whole food ingredients.
Eco-Conscious Ice Cream: Häagen-Dazs, have pledged to source some of their ingredients exclusively from bee-friendly farms or to ensure that they were harvested in a way that was favorable to the pollinators.
Bee-Driven Beauty Innovations
Keeping in mind all of the honey’s holistic beneficial qualities, honey also brings its inherent moisturizing, antibacterial, and antioxidant-rich qualities into each “beauty” item it stars in.
Sustainable Beauty Pioneer: Burt’s Bees uses various bee products in the production of their skincare and makeup. They also launched SheKeeper, a 3-year, $2M partnership with the potential to improve the livelihoods of more than 16 million women working in shea, through the introduction of beekeeping and expansion of sustainable shea processing capabilities in Ghana.
Venom-Based Wellness Innovator: Bee RX offers a line of naturally sourced and effective wellness products that use ingredients from the bee and its environment to restore your body to its healthiest state. Their two main ingredients are bee venom and kanuka honey, offering unparalleled benefits for a wide array of needs.
Superfood Skincare Creator: VitaAge Wellness’s BeeBoost Bee Pearl Powder boasts “Your Daily Dose of Nature's Bee-Nutrition Powerhouse.” This product includes bee bread, propolis, and royal jelly.
Artisanal Bee-Infused Care: Savannah Bee Company sells products like heel balms, soaps, and hand creams made from bee products.
Why Supporting Bees is Important
Let's take a closer look at their crucial contributions and the difference they make in our world.
Agricultural Linchpin: Honey bees are a crucial part of our food supply as they pollinate more than 100 of the crops we eat, including nuts, vegetables, berries, and more.
Pollination Powerhouses: In the wild and domestically, they perform about 80% of all pollination worldwide, with a single bee colony being able to pollinate 300 million flowers each day.
Biodiversity Champions: Bees maintain biodiversity by pollinating various plants; without them, many plant species and the animals that depend on them could face extinction.
Economic Contributors: Bees significantly boost agriculture's economy; their absence could lead to a drastic decrease in crop yields, affecting food supply and economies.
Environmental Indicators: As environmental health indicators, a decline in bee populations could signal deteriorating ecosystems, leading to ecological imbalances.
Medicinal Value: Bee products offer health benefits; without bees, we lose natural remedies, impacting holistic and traditional medicine practices.
What’s Killing the Bees?
Bees are dying from a variety of factors including pesticides, drought, habitat destruction, nutrition deficit, air pollution, global warming, and more. Typically, a bee hive will decline by about 5-10% during the winter and replace those lost bees in the spring. In the U.S., winter losses have often reached 30-50%.
As we face the challenges impacting pollinator populations, there are some actionable solutions:
Ban the seven most dangerous pesticides.
Protect pollinator health by preserving wild habitat.
Buy from and support companies that use pollinator-friendly methods (where we can have the most impact).
Finding honey suppliers for your products
Professionals in the food & beverage industry can utilize Pick Your Packer— a complimentary resource serving as a search engine and productivity tool.
It simplifies the process of searching, finding, and connecting with suppliers and manufacturers tailored to assist with your product or formulation needs.
No log-ins required and free to use.
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