The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has not taken adequate action on the issue of honey adulteration.
An investigation in December 2020 by the CSE unravelled the ‘food fraud’. The finding revealed that 77% of honey samples (17/22), which the CSE got tested in Indian and German laboratories, had failed the tests of purity and were found adulterated with sugar syrups. Only three out of 13 brands had passed all tests.
The brands that passed were Saffola, Markfed Sohna, and Nature’s Nectar (one sample). The brands that failed included Dabur, Patanjali, Apis, Zandu, Baidyanath, Hitkary, Dadev, Indigenous, Hi Honey and Societe Naturelle.
“We are concerned about the way the FSSAI has addressed this issue. There is no strong and public action to send the right message to honey-selling companies and reassure consumers,” said Sunita Narain, director general, CSE, in a release.
“While some actions are being considered, there is no clear message from the FSSAI that there exist such syrups that can bypass Indian standards. In such a situation, the companies continue to claim that their honey passes all FSSAI parameters and thus mislead the consumers,” said Narain.
The CSE investigation also highlighted the fact that laboratory tests conducted as per the FSSAI’s standards could not detect adulteration in honey samples.
The CSE has called for regulating syrup imports, public testing, better enforcement and traceability to check this nefarious business of honey adulteration.
“Honey adulteration not only impacts our health, but also our livelihood and food productivity,” said Amit Khurana, programme director, food safety and toxins unit, CSE.
It shared laboratory results of two additional samples with the FSSAI on December 17, 2020. These results showed very clearly that deliberate adulteration of up to 50% with sugar syrups was not detectable by the specific marker test for rice syrup (SMR), the CSE said.
“This has put paid to the FSSAI’s contention (as declared in a meeting on December 4 with the CSE team) that conducting the SMR test is important to detect adulteration with rice syrup. Our additional tests — along with the tests on the spiked samples conducted previously – show that modified syrups have been designed to bypass the Indian standards of 2020,” said Khurana.
CSE researchers pointed out that the FSSAI had written to the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), Department of Revenue, to make mandatory the end use declaration by importers as per HS (harmonized system) codes. It has also commissioned a study and asked for data from companies.
“Besides these actions, it has convened a meeting with experts from its scientific panel, which focused on revision of standards (developed over the last several years and considered better compared to other countries),” said the release.
The CSE investigation received responses from across the country and the world – ranging from consumers of honey, to agencies like the Central Consumer Protection Authority, National Human Rights Commission, etc. Most of these responses have called for necessary action by the FSSAI.
“Following the expose by the CSE, media reports quoting Nitin Gadkari, Union minister for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) have pointed to the likelihood of action on sugar syrup imports from China. If syrup imports are regulated, it will solve one part of the problem as syrups are now being manufactured in India as well. Therefore, we need better enforcement and traceability of honey,” said Khurana.
“It is clear that the business of adulteration has constantly evolved to beat laboratory tests. While India needs to regulate syrup imports, it also needs better public testing, enforcement and traceability in the honey sector. We need food to work for our nutrition; for nature and for livelihoods of communities,” said Narain.
Source: Times of India
