When to Avoid Honey | ||||||
Honey is the one identified and avoidable food reservoir of C. botulinum, the
bacterial spore that causes infant botulism. While most cases of infant botulism
today are not caused by exposure to honey prior to illness, it is the only
avoidable source of exposure to the bacterium that has been linked to infant
botulism cases by both laboratory and epidemiologic evidence (See Prevention
page). By a process of exclusion (testing over the years of hundreds of foods,
beverages, and other items placed in infants' mouths with negative results), it
was concluded that most infant botulism patients acquired their spores by
swallowing microscopic dust particles on which the spores travel.
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) prepared an informative brochure to increase awareness of avoiding feeding honey to infants under one year of age. The pamphlet is not copyrighted and CDPH encourages any and all interested parties to download, print, and distribute this brochure. To download this educational pamphlet (in PDF format) regarding avoidance of honey during the first year of life, click on a link below: No Honey brochure (English version, updated February 2024) No Honey brochure (Spanish version, updated February 2024)
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For non-urgent questions and comments, please email ibtpp@infantbotulism.org (The entire contents of this website are © 2010 by the California Department of Public Health) |