If bacteria cannot grow in honey, then it cannot spoil. This basically gives it an indefinite shelf life. Liquid honey however should be stored in your cupboard at room temperature as if it is kept in the refrigerator; the cooler temperature will promote and speed up the crystallization of liquid honey.
Keep honey in sealed container.
Glass jars with lids are also ideal for storing honey as long as the lids are on tight so the honey won't be exposed to air, while not being used. It isn't recommended to store your honey in non-food plastic containers or metal containers because they can cause honey to oxidize.
There are a few ways to go about doing this, but there's one place you should never store honey: your refrigerator. Keeping honey in the fridge will only increase the speed of crystallization, turning your honey from liquid into a thick, dough-like sludge.
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. The honey can be microwaved or heated in a pan of hot water to clarify or melt it.
There's no need to store honey in the fridge - it will stay fresh if you keep it tightly sealed. Keeping honey in the refrigerator can cause it to crystalize. For more visit the FDA's Are You Storing Your Food Safely?
Natural, properly preserved honey will not expire. In fact, archeologists found honey thousands of years old in ancient Egyptian tombs, and it was still good! While most of us don't need to worry about honey that old, their discovery proves that if properly contained, real honey can last for a very, very long time.
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.
Sometimes Honey Does Go Bad - But It's Not Honey's Fault
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.
Honey is still a form of sugar and intake should be moderate. The American Heart Association recommends that women get no more than 100 calories a day from added sugars; men no more than 150 calories a day. This is a little over two tablespoons for women and three tablespoons for men.
Does manuka honey need to be refrigerated? No, you should avoid refrigerating your manuka honey. It is best stored in a cool, dark place like a cupboard or pantry. Refrigeration of any honey — not just the special manuka variety — can cause crystallisation.
Drop a teaspoon of honey into a glass of water. Fake honey will immediately start to dissolve, whilst raw honey will drop to the bottom of the glass intact. Place a drop of room temperature or cooler honey on your finger, If the 'honey' spreads then it is fake honey.
With time, all true pure honey will crystallize or granulate, but honey will never spoil. Honey was found in the Egyptian tombs, & it was still good. Do not refrigerate honey, because refrigeration will hasten crystallization.
Yes, you can store honey in the freezer. But raw honey doesn't quite “freeze” like water because of its low water content. As honey gets colder, it gets thicker and more viscous, meaning it flows less easily. If you put it in your freezer, it will solidify and keep — but it won't become rock-solid like an ice cube.
Thankfully, honey can be returned to its liquid state with little effort. Heat some water in a pot, and put your honey container in the pot of hot water until the honey turns liquid. This gentle transfer of heat to the honey helps bring it back to liquid form without overheating the honey.
When the temperature of the honey dips below 50°F, the crystallization process will accelerate. Don't store honey in a chilly basement or unheated mudroom. To slow crystallization naturally, store your honey at room temperature or warmer (the warmer the better). Store honey in glass jars instead of plastic.
Honey has a very low water content (normally less than 18%), and a fairly high acidic level: this makes for very unfavorable conditions for bacteria to grow. If bacteria cannot grow in honey, then it cannot spoil. This basically gives it an indefinite shelf life.
Shelf Life Tips
The answer depends to a large extent on storage conditions - store honey in a cool, dry area and keep tightly covered at all times. How long does honey last at room temperature? Properly stored, honey will remain safe to consume indefinitely.
Not really. Honey is made up of about 80% sugar and 18% water. That small amount of water makes it inhospitable to bacteria and mold. Honey is also very thick, which stops oxygen from easily penetrating it (bacteria needs oxygen to thrive).
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.
“Raw honey is the least processed and probably has the most antioxidants,” Ilic says. Despite its raw status, it's considered safe to eat except for children younger than 1, who should avoid all honey. Pasteurized: Pasteurized honey has been processed to remove imperfections and improve its shelf life.
As long as you store your Manuka correctly (and really, any other honey), you generally won't have to worry about it spoiling before you can enjoy it. If your honey does appear moldy or smells spoiled or fermented, chances are it was exposed to water, contaminants, or direct sunlight.
Manuka Honey's Special Case: Normally, Manuka honey has a “best by” date of three years after packing. Expiry dates in Manuka honey are primarily used to indicate the product quality. This is because Manuka honey derives its potency from its MGO levels which grow over time and then begin to decline.
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.