The Kashrus Status of Unfiltered Honey

I have seen OU honey that is advertised as “unfiltered.” How can that be permitted? If the honey was not filtered, wouldn’t that mean that there may be pieces of the bee left in the honey?

“Unfiltered honey” generally means that healthy elements, such as pollen and propolis, have not been removed. Nonetheless, OU certified unfiltered honey will have undergone a cleaning process which removes undesirable elements. Impurities often float to the top and the top layer of honey is removed and discarded. Additionally, honey is typically filtered through a fine mesh which removes almost all bee parts. In the unlikely event that a leg or antenna would pass through the mesh, the honey would be permissible, as per Tosfos (Avoda Zara 69a s.v. ha’hu) that bee legs are treated as dried out bones, which are permissible.

The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.