# Is fruit flavored honey by definition aldulterated?? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 21, 2018, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fruit-flavored-honey-by-definition-aldulterated/812871 "2018-04-21T20:25:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fruit-flavored-honey-by-definition-aldulterated/812871/1 "2018-04-21T20:25:17Z")
It would certainly seem so to me. Having an argument with an E-bay seller. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fruit-flavored-honey-by-definition-aldulterated/812871/2 "2018-04-21T20:38:03Z")
According to this site: [https://definitions.uslegal.com/a/adulterated-food/](https://definitions.uslegal.com/a/adulterated-food/) Adulterated food has had something added to it that makes it dangerous or fall below standards or increase its bulk or weight (like adding water) I don’t think flavorings fall under that definition. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2018, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fruit-flavored-honey-by-definition-aldulterated/812871/3 "2018-04-21T22:11:23Z")
Aside from any official definitions, “adulterated” has a distinctly negative connotation. Adulterating something makes it objectively worse or of lower quality. If you consider the fruit flavoring a desirable feature, than calling the honey “adulterated” doesn’t make sense. If you consider it a negative, it doesn’t mean the honey is of lower quality. It just means the product has a feature you don’t want. Could you tell us how this even came up? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2018, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fruit-flavored-honey-by-definition-aldulterated/812871/4 "2018-04-22T04:32:57Z")
Another for “adulterated” doesn’t just mean “with something added”. Otherwise, bolognese sauce would be adulterated tomato sauce. ---
**Author:** ![pdhenry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pdhenry/32/5561_2.png) [@pdhenry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pdhenry)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2018, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fruit-flavored-honey-by-definition-aldulterated/812871/5 "2018-04-22T12:57:26Z")
What’s the source of the fruit flavoring? Actual fruit or coal tar derivatives? ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2018, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fruit-flavored-honey-by-definition-aldulterated/812871/6 "2018-04-22T18:29:37Z")
In one example I can think of, orange blossom honey tastes of oranges, but not because any oranges were added. There may be others like that, from other fruit trees, but I don’t know about them. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2018, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fruit-flavored-honey-by-definition-aldulterated/812871/7 "2018-04-22T21:49:47Z")
More to the point, you’re having an argument with a seller in a commercial transaction. The definition of specific words is very important in trade, and “adulterated” does not mean what you seem to think it means, in a business transaction. Don’t become one of [these people](https://notalwaysright.com/). ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-fruit-flavored-honey-by-definition-aldulterated/812871/8 "2018-04-23T11:57:20Z")
Yes, I understand, thanks for the correction. I wanted honey flavored honey, not peach flavored honey and I was careful to choose one in my range and in straws (an idea I got here at the Dope) to carry the honey for my tea to work. And I went thru all the flavors on Ebay to find what I thought was just honey, and when I got the peach, I wrote that it was incorrectly listed and now I am in an argument with a “Power Seller” who are apparently pretty much untouchable per Ebay. Just glad it wasn’t much $$. She claims the listing said peach, it didn’t, claimed I read it wrong on my mobile device (I used my laptop-is that a mobile device, I mean I suppose, but not really.) Meh, back to carrying my little bear.