Standards and Regulations

Author: Rabbi Cohen

Honey

For thousands of years, people have recognized the diverse uses and nutritional benefits of honey, a bee product. It is considered healthier than other sweeteners. With the arrival of winter, people are more susceptible to viruses and colds. Therefore, many people use honey as a health supplement. This article will explore the kosher properties of bee products from various perspectives.

From a kosher perspective, this raises the question: the general principle of kosher is that all substances from non-kosher sources are non-kosher. So why is honey produced by non-kosher bees kosher? The fundamental question of honey's kosher nature is discussed in the Bechoros chapter of the Gemara. Before exploring this question, let's first examine why and how bees produce honey.

Bees make honey because it's a long-lasting liquid food. Therefore, during the winter, bees only need to stay in their hives and rely on honey for nutrition. The honey-making process is as follows:

In spring and summer, after honeybees collect nectar (primarily a sucrose solution) from flowers, they immediately return to the hive and regurgitate the nectar into the mouths of their hivemates. This allows the nectar to mix with the bees' saliva. Bee saliva contains two enzymes—sucrase and glucose oxidase—that are crucial to honey production, as discussed below. (In layman's terms, enzymes are microorganisms that digest specific compounds, changing their chemical properties.) The bees then regurgitate the nectar and saliva into the hive and fan their wings until most of the water in the nectar evaporates. Simultaneously, their enzyme-rich saliva breaks down the sucrose (a disaccharide) into two simple sugars: glucose and fructose. These two sugars bind tightly together with the remaining water, forming a "desert" where bacteria cannot survive, allowing the honey to be stored for a long time.

However, during the honey ripening process, it can still be attacked by pathogens (bacteria that cause spoilage). The hero in combating these pathogens is glucose oxidase, which converts glucose into gluconic acid, making the honey acidic and thus killing most bacteria. Please note that honey formation and ripening occur almost entirely in the hive, not within the bees themselves.

Next, let's analyze this from a kosher perspective. The Gemara provides two arguments for why honey is kosher. First, honey is not a secretion of bees, but rather a product of nectar collected by bees and then fermented. Therefore, honey is permissible. According to this view, honey from other insects, as long as it is not a secretion, is also permissible.

The second argument is more restrictive. The Gemara states that the Bible specifically states that bee honey is permitted. According to this view, only honey is specifically permitted by the Bible, while honeys from other insects are excluded and therefore non-kosher. The Shulchan Aruch cites both views but does not explicitly rule them out. However, halacha kosher law, following the principle of sfekah d'oraisah l'chumrah, prohibits such products.

Regarding a special type of honey, manna, produced by bees feeding on the sweet secretion of aphids called "nectar," the Gemara's two arguments can be applied in conflicting ways. The first argument is that honey is permissible because it is not a bee secretion but rather nectar from kosher flowers. Therefore, manna should be prohibited because it comes from non-kosher aphids. However, the second argument is that honey is specifically permitted by law, so one could argue that manna is also permissible. As mentioned above, the Gemara's uncertainty on this issue makes it difficult to determine which of the two arguments is more important.

Royal jelly

Honey isn't the only bee product. Recently, interest in another bee product, royal jelly, has been growing. Because of its many (albeit unproven) claims of benefits, including boosting the immune system and promoting physical and mental health, royal jelly has become a sought-after commodity in health supplement stores.

But is royal jelly kosher? Do the same principles that determine honey's kosher status apply to royal jelly? Unlike honey, royal jelly is a milky-yellow secretion from the glands of worker bees. Its consistency is similar to butter, but less viscous than honey. It tastes bitter but not pungent. Worker bees produce royal jelly primarily as food for their early larvae and it is also the sole food of the queen bee. The rest of the bees survive on the honey stored in the hive.

Some argue that royal jelly should be permitted because it resembles honey and therefore falls under the biblical exception. However, regardless of which of the aforementioned Gemara arguments is used, this argument is difficult to sustain. First, royal jelly is a glandular secretion, thus failing to meet the first requirement. Furthermore, because royal jelly differs from honey in appearance, taste, and effects, it can be considered a completely different food and therefore cannot be included in the biblical exception for honey.

Others believe that royal jelly is unfit for human consumption because of its "extremely bitter" taste, and therefore there is no need to ban it. This view is undoubtedly wrong. Although royal jelly has a somewhat sour and bitter taste, it is not inedible, even in its unprocessed state—a fact confirmed by non-Jews.

Therefore, it is generally recognized that royal jelly is non-kosher.

beeswax

Beeswax, a secretion from glands in bees' abdomens, is used to build honeycombs and store honey. It's also used on fruits to extend their shelf life, add shine to chocolate, jelly beans, candy corn, and more, and serves as a base for beeswax extract, a flavoring.

At first glance, it would seem that neither of the two grounds for honey's permissibility in the Gemara applies to beeswax, since beeswax is a secretion and not honey. However, many contemporary authorities consider beeswax permissible, primarily because it is considered an inedible item. Considered animal waste, it is not subject to the Torah's provisions regarding food (yotzeh min hatamei). Previous authorities have also presented numerous supporting arguments in support of the kosher nature of beeswax. Magen Avraham, chapter 321, verse 16, mandates that the candles used for the search for leaven before Passover be made of beeswax, not tallow, to ensure that non-kosher fats do not drip onto the dishes. In other words, Magen Avraham implies that dripping beeswax wax onto dishes does not constitute a kosher violation.

Therefore, beeswax is generally recognized as Kosher.

Pollen and propolis

Pollen is a pale yellow or green powder collected by bees from flowers, transported in pollen baskets on their legs. Pollen contains nutrients that male flowers provide to new plants. Bees mix pollen with a little nectar to create a protein-rich food, honey, which they feed their larvae. Pollen is available in health food stores. Many believe that pollen is rich in vitamins and enzymes, and also has antibiotic properties.

Propolis is a resin collected by bees with their legs and used for sealing and other purposes. The chemical composition of propolis is 45 to 55% resin, 25 to 35% beeswax or plant waxes and fatty acids, 10% essential oils from plants, 5% pollen, and 5% other organic matter and minerals. Propolis is available in health food stores and is also used as a toothpaste additive for its antiseptic properties. Propolis contains beeswax, which is kosher. It is speculated that propolis contains a small amount of bee saliva, but the amount is too small and similar to the amount in honey (which is undoubtedly kosher). Since both pollen and propolis are collected by bees from kosher sources, both are permissible. Propolis is permissible for the same reason as beeswax: it is also a non-edible gum.

This article emphasizes an important principle—a thorough understanding of the product and its applicable kosher laws must be obtained before determining its kosher status. Consumers should ensure they obtain kosher information from a kosher agency or consult a rabbi who is familiar with all aspects of the product's processing and applicable kosher laws.