When it's stored properly, honey never goes bad, Grad said in an interview with Allrecipes. "Honey will darken and/or crystallize, but it is still safe to eat," she said. Metal or plastic containers can oxidize the honey, and heat can change its flavor.
In general, honey doesn't spoil. However, it can go bad if it's contaminated or incorrectly stored. If your honey has visible mold, or if it smells fermented or "off," then it's time to toss it.
You don't have to toss that honey! Even if honey had been sitting on your shelf for 2,000 years, that honey would still be as good as the day you opened it. In a nutshell, well-stored honey never expires or spoils, even if it's been previously opened.
Crystallized honey is safe to eat. But, just like the liquid form of honey, avoid feeding children under one year old with honey. Honey may have traces of Clostridium botulism spores that could cause botulism poisoning in infants. Freezing and heating honey won't destroy the spores.
Honey can be stored pretty much anywhere, at any temperature. It's one of the few products in the world that never goes bad, due to its unique chemical composition.
1 However, manufacturers usually place expiration dates or best-used-by dates to assist stores with inventory and help customers enjoy consumables while they are at their optimum flavor and freshness. This means that many products like honey are still perfectly healthy to eat long after their expiration dates.
Can Honey Go Bad? When it's stored properly, honey never goes bad, Grad said in an interview with Allrecipes. "Honey will darken and/or crystallize, but it is still safe to eat," she said. Metal or plastic containers can oxidize the honey, and heat can change its flavor.
Even though honey doesn't have an expiration date, it can still undergo natural changes. The National Honey Board says that over time honey may “darken and lose its aroma and flavor or crystallize,” depending on changes in temperature.
What you're looking at is 'honey foam,' which is a result of the tiny air bubbles in the honey escaping to the top. This is due to air bubbles trapped in the honey during processing and packaging.
Though your honey may darken and crystalize over time, it's still safe to eat! Whether in a glass or plastic bottle, honey can return to its original liquid glory. To soften honey back into its regular liquid consistency, all you need is a heat-proof container and some hot water.
Q: How long will Manuka Honey keep for? A: Honey doesn't really expire. It has been said that it remains as good as it was when it was extracted. As long as it is stored properly (out of direct sunlight, not exposed to direct heat and isn't frozen) it will last well beyond it's best before date.
When honey is getting bad, it develops a cloudy yellow color instead of a clear golden one — the texture then becomes thicker until it's grainy. Once it's finally considered “bad,” the color becomes white, and the texture gets hard. This whole process is because of the crystallization of honey for a long time.
The first thing to note here is that if your honey is bad, you will know your honey is bad because it will be fermented and it will taste sour instead of sweet. Crystallization is a natural process and does not mean that the honey is bad.
By consuming raw unfiltered honey, you are consuming propolis, which is actually small pieces of the beehive. Often, you can see this propolis in your honey jar in the form of small black specks.
Honey Will Never Grow Mold Or Spoil
Honey is hygroscopic, which means that it is water-negative and can even draw water from the air in improper storage conditions, leaving nothing for microbes and molds to grow on. Honey also has a low pH value, making it too acidic for most microbes.
Why Honey Crystallizes. Honey is made up of two sugar molecules — glucose and fructose. Crystallization occurs when the glucose molecules separate from the rest of the honey and clump together to form little crystals. While this process affects the appearance of the honey, it is completely natural and harmless.
Honey never expires. The healthy sweetener—which contains antibacterial proteins and enzymes as well as plenty of antioxidants—is good forever. Seriously. Kept sealed in an airtight container, the National Honey Board says honey remains edible indefinitely—even if it crystalizes or darkens over time.
1. Honey. In 2015, archaeologists reported that they'd found 3,000-year-old honey while excavating tombs in Egypt, and it was perfectly edible. This durability is thanks to the unique features of honey: it is low in water and high in sugar, so bacteria cannot grow on it.
Simply keep it in a cool location away from direct sunlight and in a tightly sealed container. It's recommended that you use the original container the honey came in, though any glass jar or food-safe plastic container will work. Avoid storing honey in metal because it can oxidize.
Honey does not go bad. In fact, it's recognized as the only food that doesn't spoil. It will, however, crystallize (becoming thick and cloudy) over time. If this happens, just remove the lid from the jar, place it in a pan of water, and warm it over low heat until the honey returns to its original consistency.
For best quality, store honey for up to 12 months. After that time, it remains safe but the quality may not be as good. Honey can become cloudy, crystallized or solidified but this is not a safety concern.
When honey crystallizes, it becomes thicker (if tiny crystals are forming) and cloudy as more crystals form). Some crystallization results in a coarse sugary texture and some in a creamy texture.