Dabur, Patanjali, Hamdard others come together to form India Honey Alliance

26 Jun , 2021 By : Kanchan Joshi

New Delhi: Large packaged consumer goods companies including Dabur, Patanjali, Baidyanath, Hamdard Laboratories, Brij Honey, Kashmir Honey, Hitkary Honey on Friday announced the formation of India Honey Alliance (IHA) to create consumer awareness and engage industry stakeholders after reports of adulterated honey struck some of the biggest players in the industry last year.

The alliance comprises honey companies, exporters, bee-keepers, farmers, processors, and science experts from across the country.

“IHA has already initiated dialogue with the Central Government and is working closely with the consumers as well as scientific bodies to take modern, easy-to-use, affordable, and scalable technology to farmers and apiarists. IHA has been promoting science-based quality standards for Indian honey to improve the current practices of sourcing, testing, packaging, etc," it said in a statement.

The move comes after honey sold by 10 major brands, including Dabur, Patanjali, Zandu and Apis Himalaya, were found adulterated with sugar syrup in tests carried out by non-profit Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) late last year. Only three brands Saffola, Markfed Sohna and Societe Naturelle cleared all the tests, including the internationally accepted Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy or NMR test for sugar syrup.

The report dealt a body blow to the packaged honey industry that went on a significant damage control mode after the report surfaced.

The alliance will dispel myths and consumer concerns, said Shahrukh Khan, Chairperson, IHA.

IHA has formed a panel to create consumer awareness and clear myths surrounding honey by bringing renowned doctors (Ayurveda and Unani), nutritionists to discuss the palliative, preventive and curative properties of honey.

“There are many myths and misconceptions about honey and its purity. Also, there were many concerns expressed about the increasing instances of honey adulteration. So, we felt the need to create a neutral and objective platform for people from the sector to come together to clear all the ambiguity and to give honey the place of pride in our homes that it deserves," said Khan.