An investigation conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has found rampant adulteration in honey sold by major Indian brands including Dabur, Patanjali, and Emami. According to a Hindu report, CSE researchers chose 13 high and smaller manufacturers of processed and uncooked honey being bought in India to test their purity.
The CSE study revealed that almost all the brands of honey being sold in Indian markets are adulterated with sugar syrup as 77 per cent of samples in the tests were found adulterated. In all, 22 samples were tested of which only five passed. Honey samples from leading brands such as Dabur, Patanjali, Baidyanath, Zandu, Hitkari and Apis Himalaya, all failed the NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) test,” the study said. Among big brands, Marico’s Saffola Honey, Markfed Sohna and Nature’s Necta cleared all the tests. Only three out of the 13 brands – Saffola, Markfed Sohna and Nature’s Nectar (one out of two samples) — passed all the tests, it added.
According to the CSE, honey, which is a natural product acquired from bees, is mixed with sugar syrup acquired from rice, corn, beetroot, and sugarcane and passed off as pure –a clear health hazard. Honey companies are yet to respond to CSE’s report.
