New Delhi: Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has stated that the major Indian brands including Dabur, Patanjali and Zandu are using modified sugar from China in manufacturing honey which can bypass the basic tests used to detect adulterated honey.
The spokespersons from Dabur, Patanjali and Zandu have denied these allegations stating that their honey meets the regulatory requirements laid down by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
The CSE launched an investigation after it noticed that during the lockdown due to coronavirus pandemic the profits of beekeepers in North India were lowered whereas the sale of honey was increased.
Sunita Narain, CSE director issued a statement stating that, “The food fraud is more dangerous and systematic than what we found in our 2003 and 2006 investigations in soft drinks.”
CSE investigation shows that almost all the brands sell adulterated honey with adding sugar syrup in it.
“Sugar intake is directly linked to obesity and obese people are more vulnerable to life threatening infections like coronavirus,” she said.
The Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) tests can only detect the new modified ‘Chinese Sugar’ and the tests have been mandatory for exporting honey only.
