If there is one brand which Indians trust blindly is Patanjali, and why not? The products are touted to be organic with a plethora of health benefits. Now, what if you told your most trusted Indian brands have been selling honey adulterated with Chinese sugar? Shocked? Brands like Dabur, Patanjali and Zandu are alleged to be selling honey laced with a modified sugar from China. It turns out that these brands have been able to go scot-free as the Chinese sugar can easily bypass some of the necessary tests used to detect adulterated honey.
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CSE Found Chinese Sugar In 10 Of 13 Popular Brands
Chinese sugar can only be detected by a test called Nuclear Magnetic Resonance which has been made mandatory in India only recently. Out of the 13 popular brands selected by CSE, ten were found adulterated. Almost all, except Apis Himalaya, passed the basic purity test. Here are 6 Desi Comfort Foods That Are Better Than Fancy Gourmet Dishes.
Brands Deny Allegations
However, the spokesperson from Dabur, Patanjali and Zandu denied any such allegations and added that they meet regulatory requirements laid down by the FSSAI. They said that their products were 100% safe for ingestion and passed all the safety tests. The CSE study found that almost all honey brands of honey in the Indian market are adulterated with sugar syrup. Popular Brand ‘Lavazza’ Donates 50,000 Bags Of Coffee To Essential Workers In NYC & Los Angeles During Lockdown.
Chinese Sugar Can Have Grave Effects On Health
However, if this food fraud is actual, it can be more damaging to our health than the adulterated soft drinks. Given that people have increased their honey intake owing to the pandemic, it can prove even more harmful. With these adulterated products, people are consuming more sugar than honey. It is no secret that sugar ingestion has directly been linked to obesity and other vulnerable to life-threatening infections.
It can be safe to conclude that India has an evolved adulteration business.
First Published: December 10, 2020 1:12 PM