ROME - Data taken from a public report written by EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) has given evidence that honey has the highest percentage of medicinal residue in relation to other common animal products.

The 2014/2015 report states that there is a 0.72 percent content of medicinal residue in honey, a figure significantly higher than the 0.02 percent found in pork or the 0.21 percent found in beef.

“The noticeable levels of residue are surprising if one thinks about consumer expectations which look to bee products for their natural qualities” underlined a member of FNOVI (National Federation for the Order of Italian Veterinary surgeons).

The President of FNOVI, Gaetano Penocchio, has warned of the disastrous consequences. “The bee could become an uncontrollable vector of antibiotic resistance, without the possibility of control, thus spreading contamination in both farming and the environment.”

DT