Honey

Laboratory results of honey testing

It is a food fraud more nefarious and more sophisticated than what we found in our 2003 and 2006 investigations into soft drinks; more damaging to our health than perhaps anything that we have found till now – keeping in mind the fact that we are still fighting against a …

Bees’ decline linked to pesticides

It represents a serious threat to agriculture because bees are pollination agents for the majority of crops. WORLDWIDE declines in bee colonies, threatening much of global agriculture, may be caused by a new generation of nerve-agent pesticides, two new scientific studies strongly suggest. The findings place a massive question mark …

CSE finds no honey in honey

Honey might be no longer `nectar' for users. For, a test conducted by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) found that it was more of a sugar served with antibiotics. The genuineness of the honey notwithstanding, the producers are turning their venture into one of the `sweetest' businesses. A prime …

Policy and processes that enable honey export: a case study from India

India started exporting a small amount of honey in 1991-1992 and has now established itself as an important honey exporter to the world market. The quantity exported has increased substantially, and today India exports honey to 62 countries, including Germany, Saudi Arabia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. This …

Honey safety norms in place soon

The government is putting in place safety standards for honey after it has been found that lots, even those sold by top brands, had traces of antibiotics and pesticides in them. The Food And Safety Standards of India (FSSAI) will soon make it mandatory that honey samples conform to these …

Decommodification’ may be key to solve food crisis

‘Co-existence with ecosystem helps agriculture; begets healthy food’ ‘Decommodification’ of food could hold the key to an effective solution to the food crisis that is waiting to blow in the face, said Cariyappa, a progressive farmer, here on Sunday. For taste buds: Dr V Rajendra of Government Ayurvedic College and …

Honey trade just got stickier

AT A time when Indian honey is under the scanner for allegedly re-exporting cheap and poor quality Chinese honey, a private firm has become the first in the world to bag the True Source Honey (TSH) certificate. The certificate, a US industry initiative, is the authentication of the origin of …

Indians knew it

IT WAS not until mid-1900s that scientists woke up to the importance of prebiotics—a non-digestible food ingredients that helps nurture bacteria in human gut. Consequently, nutritionists started recommending foods like whole grains and pulses more often. Now a study suggests that the secrets of nutrition related to prebiotics were well …

Global honey bee colony disorders and other threats to insect pollinators

This new UNEP report shows that bee colonies worldwide are under threat, with serious consequences for biodiversity and food security. It analyses possible answers to why the bee group, the most important pollinator worldwide, is declining and what are the possible mitigating measures and recommendations to avert such decline. The …

Climate change threatening honey industry in Nagaland

KOHIMA, Jan 4: With an annual production of over 200 metric tons, beekeeping in Nagaland has become a lucrative business. Traditional beekeepers, with help and support from the Nagaland Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM), have developed beekeeping into a mini industry, producing one of the finest quality honey in the …

Honey export ban leads to huge crash in product prices

Ludhiana: Many bee-keepers in danger of losing livelihood, warn industrialists The ban on export of honey has led to a massive crash in the prices of honey, which has hurt the bee-keepers of the state. Expressing concern about the state of affairs, Kashmir Apiaries Exports/ Little Bee Impex CMD Jagjit …

EU bans honey imports from India: Scindia

The government on Wednesday informed Parliament that the European Union has banned imports of honey from India on account of presence of heavy metals in the consignments.

Summary of monitoring of pesticide residues at national level

Read this summary of the monitoring of pesticide residues in the food commodities conducted from April 2008 to March 2009 at national level by Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and the IARI. The Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India in collaboration with Indian Agriculture …

Stop antibiotics in honey: Centre

FOOD Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued an advisory stating that residues of antibiotics and pesticide are not allowed in honey. The authority said India follows stringent safety standards similar to the EU and the US, where use of antibiotics in honey is illegal. The move was …

Putting away the toxic spray

A school dropout, 28-year-old Simarjeet Singh Aulakh from Punjab

What’s in your Honey?

Universally, honey is believed to be a natural product. Regulations across the world say as much. The Codex Alimentarius Commission is a global body set up jointly by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to develop food standards for international trade; it defines …

The study

OXYTETRACYCLINE Belonging to the common antibiotic class of Tetracyclines, this antibiotic is used by beekeepers against bacterial foul brood diseases. The BIS recommends it for the treatment of European foul brood disease. HEALTH IMPACTS: Chronic exposure to oxytetracycline or OTC can lead to bloodrelated disorders, liver injury and delayed blood …

The results

Multiple antibiotics in high amounts were found in 11 out of the 12 samples. All 11 samples failed the antibiotics standards set by the Indian government’s Export Inspection Council (EIC) for exported honey. The two imported honey samples were also highly contaminated with antibiotics. Both would have failed their own …

Creating indomitable superbugs

Antibiotic resistance is the ability of a microorganism to withstand the effects of an antibiotic. If even at a large dose, the antibiotic is not effective in treating an infection, then the microorganism that is responsible for the infection is declared resistant to that antibiotic. Antibiotic resistance is a global …

Bee farms to shops

The journey of honey from bee farms to breakfast tables has become complex with time. From wild honey gatherers, honey supply has passed into the hands of cooperatives of individual beekeepers and then to big companies. The cooperatives could have helped beekeepers demand better prices, but they did not last …

Chinese honey route

Of late, honey is being associated with shady dealings, crime, and and a thriving illegal trade spanning the globe. One may wonder why honey, a natural product, is shipped illegally. The reasons become clear if one considers the stringent food safety regulations in Western countries and questionable beekeeping practices in …

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