Honey sold by major brands in India adulterated with sugar syrup, states CSE report

New Delhi: Honey sold by several major brands in India has been found adulterated with sugar syrup, environmental watchdog CSE said on Wednesday.

Food researchers from the Center for Science and Environment (CSE) selected 13 major and smaller brands of raw and processed honey sold in India to verify its purity.

It was found that 77 percent of the samples were adulterated with the addition of sugar syrup. Of the 22 samples tested, only five passed all the tests.

“Honey samples from leading brands such as Dabur, Patanjali, Baidyanath, Zandu, Hitkari and Apis Himalaya all failed the MRI (nuclear magnetic resonance) test,” the study said.

In response to the complaint, the Emami (Zandu) spokesperson said: “Emami, as a responsible organization, ensures that its pure Zandu honey meets and adheres to all protocols and quality norms / standards set by the Government of the India and its authorized entities as FSSAI. “

Dabur also refuted the claim, saying recent reports appear “motivated and intended to smear our brand.”

“We assure our consumers that Dabur honey is 100 percent pure. It is 100 percent indigenous, naturally collected from Indian sources and packaged without added sugar or other adulterants. We also assure our consumers that Dabur does not import honey / syrup. from China and our honey comes entirely from Indian beekeepers, “he said in a statement.

He added that Dabur is meeting the 22 parameters required by the Indian Food Safety and Standards Authority to analyze honey.

“Furthermore, Dabur honey is also tested for the presence of antibiotics as mandated by FSSAI. Furthermore, Dabur is the only company in India that has an NMR test kit in our own laboratory, and the same is used to test our honey regularly. It is sold in the Indian market. This is to ensure that Dabur honey is 100 percent pure without adulterations, “he said.

Dabur also shared a copy of an MRI test report from Germany that indicated that Dabur’s honey passed the test.

Commenting on the development, Patanjali Ayurved spokesperson SK Tijarawala said PTI, “We make only natural honey, which is approved by the food regulator FSSAI. Our product meets the standards set by FSSAI.

He also alleged that it was a conspiracy to defame the producers of natural honey “in the country.”

“It is a conspiracy to sell German technology and expensive machinery. It is also a conspiracy to smear the country’s natural honey producers and promote processed honey. This would also curb India’s contribution to the global honey market,” he said.

Baidyanath and other companies could not be immediately reached.

Samples of these brands were first tested by the CSE at the Center for Analysis and Learning in Livestock and Food (CALF) at the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in Gujarat.

According to the Center for Science and the Environment, almost all major brands passed purity tests, while some smaller brands failed tests for C4 sugar, the basic adulteration that uses cane sugar.

“But when the same brands were tested using the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) laboratory tests currently used around the world to detect such modified sugar syrups, almost all the large and small brands failed. Of the 13 tests brands, only three passed the NMR test, which was carried out by a specialized laboratory in Germany, “he said.

“What we found was shocking. It shows how the adulteration business has evolved so that it can pass the stipulated tests in India. Our concern is not just that the honey we eat is adulterated, but that this adulteration is difficult to catch. In fact, we have found that sugar syrups are designed to be undetectable, “said Amit Khurana, program director for CSE’s Food Safety and Toxins team.

The CSE also claimed that it tracked down Chinese trade portals advertising fructose syrup that it may bypass testing to verify adulteration. It also found that the same Chinese companies that advertised this fructose syrup that can pass the C3 and C4 tests were also exported to India.

CSE Director General Sunita Narain said they later carried out a sting operation to find out more.

“The Chinese companies informed the CSE that even if 50-80 percent of the honey is adulterated with syrup, it would pass all the stipulated tests. The Chinese company sent a sample of the syrup that can bypass the tests as a paint pigment for pass customs, “he said.

“We are consuming more honey to combat the pandemic. But honey adulterated with sugar will not cure us. In fact, it will make us even more vulnerable. On the other hand, what should also concern us is that the loss of bees will lead to a collapse of our food system the bees are critical for pollination, if the honey is adulterated, we not only lose our health, but also the productivity of our agriculture ”, he said.