Most of the honey sold in the markets contains sugar syrup: DOST

MANILA – Most or 80 percent of the honey products sold in the markets contain sugar and corn syrup, which threatens the health of consumers and results in losses of about P200 million for the local honey industry , according to a study by the Department of Science and Technology.

The “fraudulent practice allows manufacturers to increase the volume of their products while reducing production costs,” according to the report released Friday.

Sixty-two of the 76 brands were found to be 95 percent C4 sugar syrup, according to Angel Bautista VII of the agency’s Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI).

Twelve of the 16 local brands sold in grocery or souvenir shops, and 64 of 74 local products sold online are not pure honey, Bautista said.

“The problem is that people are being deceived. You may be buying honey for its wonderful health benefits, but due to adulteration, you may actually only be buying pure sugar syrup. Consuming too much pure sugar syrup can cause harmful health effects, ”he said.

Imagine, the revenue that is supposed to go to our honest beekeepers and honey producers is being lost due to adulteration and fraud. This is affecting our local honey industry so much that we estimate they are losing P200 million per year. “

Meanwhile, none of the 41 imported honey products sold in local stores are adulterated, Bautista said.

Honey sold in the markets must not contain food additives or other substances, according to the Philippine National Standard for Honey from the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards.

The substance added to honey products and the source of the honey must be declared on their label, according to DOST.

The agency has forwarded its findings to the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration as it urged incorporating isotope-based standards into the regulatory system, according to the report.