Florida: Trace Amounts of Antibiotics Found in Honey from China

State Threatens Fines Over Contaminated Honey
By Jim Ash, Tallahassee Democrat (USA), 6/15/2006

State investigators are threatening fines after finding trace amounts of antibiotics in honey imported from China.

Not found on store shelves but in processed foods, the honey is not considered to be an eminent health risk, said Terry McElroy, a spokesman for the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

The Department recently sent letters to distributors warning them they face fines of up to $5,000 if follow-up testing shows any more of the substance, "fluoroquinolones," which is banned in the United States.

Earlier this year, the department began testing nearly 50 samples of honey from domestic and foreign sources, including 14 samples from honey imported from China. Four of the 14 Chinese samples showed levels of the substance ranging from 5 ppb, or parts per billion, to 93 ppb. The testing was done after officials received an anonymous tip, McElroy said…