Can honey go bad?

Honey is the only food that does not go off – indeed, honey found in King Tutankhamun’s tomb was still edible. It has a high sugar content and antibiotic properties that act as preservatives. Over time honey becomes cloudy as the sugar crystallises, but this does not spoil it and you can dissolve the sugar by heating it gently. If moisture gets into the honey, though, yeast can grow, ferment and spoil the foodstuff, but so long as it is kept tightly sealed honey can keep indefinitely.

Answered by Kate Sherburn, Manchester Museum.