New Delhi: The honey brand that you trust for purity may not be so pure after all. Zee News sent honey samples of several brands for lab tests. The results refute the claims of several big players. Gurgaon’s Fare Labs first agreed to conduct these tests. However, a week later, Zee News received an email from the lab that they wouldn’t be able to test the samples as their equipment developed a technical snag.
Finally, Gujarat’s National Dairy Development Board’s trusted lab conducted the tests. The samples of two major companies failed on a key parameter. In these samples, the amount of the Hydroxy-methyl-furfural compound was found to be twice the permissible limit, DNA TV reported.
Dabur’s sample contained 176.57 milligrams of HMF, more than twice the permissible limit of 80 milligrams. Dabur’s second sample also contained 97.250 milligram of HMF. Shreeji Honey also failed on this parameter. The quantity of HMF was found to be 135.16 milligram in its sample.
HMF is an organic compound found in honey. In pure and fresh honey, HMF content remains 15 mg. It is also found in bakery and dairy products. As per international standards, HMF mustn’t cross the 40 mg-mark per kilogram.. In hot climatic conditions, it shouldn’t be more than 80 mg per kg.
According to the National Centre For Bio-Technology Information, HMF’s quantity increases when honey is very old; it is heated a lot during processing; has moisture or isn’t stored properly. Honey adulterated with sugar syrup also reports elevated levels of HMF.
Dabur India’s management on Thursday said that reports claiming the presence of carcinogenic materials in its honey product are “false and baseless”. “The article is completely baseless without any scientific evidence and it has absolutely no legal or any merit in the substance on where the research which analytical lab it is,” Dabur India’s Chief Executive Officer Mohit Malhotra was quoted as saying by CNBC.
Speaking to CNBC-TV18, Malhotra said, “We stand by the purity of Dabur Honey and we the largest market leader not just in India, but in world. We export to around 100 odd countries and we conform with regulations of every country in the world, including FSSAI, which is a regulatory body in India and every single batch of honey dispatched from a factory premises complies to FSSAI parameters.”
Meanwhile, the Zee News report set a chain of reaction on social media:
When companies like Dabur claim to sell absolutely pure honey, then why was the amount of HMF found in their honey high? There can be many reasons for this. #DaburHoneypic.twitter.com/kQ9yqcAMaG
— Komal soni (@KomalKo36721268) August 3, 2023
And many people are regretting a lot, this is on you guys, you must watch it#DaburHoneypic.twitter.com/u98s6nO2WT
— Mr Nitin (@MrNitin_) August 3, 2023
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