IN THE animated flick Bee Movie, currently in cinemas, protagonist Barry the bee expresses outrage at how humans exploit the insects for honey, the fruit of their tireless labour.
Leaving the sting-filled issue of labour rights aside, it is true that humans guzzle a large amount of the golden nectar.
In Singapore, an average of 2,388 tonnes of honey have been imported annually for the last six years from countries such as New Zealand, China, Australia, Malaysia and Thailand.
There are at least 10 companies here which supply honey to supermarkets and other shops, or who have permanent counters in shopping malls selling the sweet stuff.
There is even a shop that sells nothing but honey products - Honey World in Marina Square Shopping Centre.
Mr Benny Tay, 47, owner of Honey Farm, with sales counters in Ngee Ann City and three OG stores, says he has seen an annual increase of some 10 per cent every year since the company started in 2000. He says more people are learning about the health benefits of honey.
Honey comes from nectar, which worker bees collect from flowers. The nectar is ingested and regurgitated several times before it is stored in the beeswax cells of the honeycomb hive.
A check with stores selling honey shows that manuka honey is a hot favourite among consumers.
To make it, bees collect nectar from the flowers of the manuka bush, which is native to New Zealand. The honey is believed to have an antibacterial substance not present in nectar from other sources (see other story).
Mr Tony Liew, 51, owner of Honey World, says sales of manuka honey make up some 30 per cent of his total takings and that people buy it because they believe it boosts their immune system.
Similarly, a spokesman for traditional Chinese medicine company Eu Yan Sang says its manuka honey is well received because of its antibacterial properties.
Music teacher Liew Shen Een, 26, swears by manuka honey for curing her sore throat.
But judging from what dietitians say, honey should be enjoyed more for its taste than for its health benefits.
Ms Kala Adaikan, a dietitian with the Singapore General Hospital (SGH), says that there has been no conclusive evidence showing that manuka honey is an antibacterial supplement or a cure for sore throat.
In fact, other dietitians LifeStyle spoke to say consumers need to be careful of the multiple health benefit claims because much of the evidence suggesting the benefits are unconfirmed and circumstantial.
Ms Yu Po Yee, a senior dietitian at SGH, adds that there is no additional health benefit to substituting sugar with honey as a sweetener.
'For the same weight of sugar and honey, there is no difference in their nutritional value. One tablespoon of honey, however, has more calories than the same measure of sugar because honey is naturally weight heavy.'
One tablespoon of honey, which weighs around 21g, has 64kcals whereas one tablespoon of sugar, which weighs around 12.6g, has 48kcals.
Ms Adaikan adds that no one form of honey is better for consumption. So it makes little difference if one goes for comb honey, liquid honey or cream honey.
And while heating honey before consumption, such as stirring it into a hot cup of water, may reduce the activity of natural enzymes, she says that the nutrient content remains unchanged.
Infants under one year old, however, should not be given honey.
Ms Yu explains that honey contains a temperature resistant bacteria known as clostridium botulinum. It produces toxins that cause food poisoning.
In adults, the stomach acids remove toxins, but infants have insufficient acidic gastric juices or gut bacteria to remove them. In serious cases, the toxins may cause nerve paralysis and breathing problems.
Nutritionists advise that honey should be taken in moderation.
Ms Yu says: 'Avoid loading up on it as a health supplement as it may not lead to a sweet ending, with weight gain and dental cavities being potential health traps.'
