Honey trap busted, locals feel cheated

Days after the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a not-for-profit public interest research and advocacy organisation, alleged that major brands, including Dabur, Patanjali and Himalaya, sell adulterated honey by mixing a special sugar syrup, The Morning Standard spoke to Delhi-NCR residents to know how they felt after knowing the truth.

Preeti Singh, 45, Homemaker, Sukhdev Vihar
I have been using Patanjali’s honey and have consumed 1kg since the pandemic began. I use it in my face packs, for cold and cough, and in shakes and food items. I am not shocked by the news as I was aware of these malpractices, but being away from my hometown I was unable to fetch honey from the farms. The one I use gets frozen when I keep it in the fridge and this is not the original property of honey.

Monica Aaron, 58, Retired Teacher, Gurugram 
We have been a Dabur honey customer for a long time. Each family member’s daily consumption is one-two teaspoons. But the recent reports have been shocking as we don’t know what is fit to be consumed. We trusted Dabur, but now it will be difficult to trust big brands in the market. 

Ruhee Parvez, 33, Journalist, East Delhi
I have been consuming Dabur and Patanjali honey all this while and had bought 500gm packing thrice. I normally add honey to my bowl of cornflakes. I assumed it to be healthier than sugar but I was wrong. So recently, I purchased a bottle of organic honey called Satvyk.

Rajesh Kesari, 50, Physician and Diabetologist, Noida
My family generally consumes a lot of honey. There are a lot of brands that claim that their honey is pure, has been gathered from the Himalayas, and is organic. But this revelation about the samples failing tests has left us feeling cheated. Many diabetics take honey instead of sugar, thinking it is safe for them. It is true that honey contain lesser amount of calories than table sugar, but these companies have dealt a blow to such unassuming patients by causing a further increase in their blood sugar levels. I strongly feel that the authorities should take strict actions against such manufacturers and not let them fool the public.

Rinkoo Tulsian Shroff, 44, Fashion Designer, Delhi
I have been consuming organic honey. My friends have a farm and they send it across. We consumed almost 2kg during the pandemic, as honey acts as an immunity booster. But only a few people know who is selling genuine stuff, the rest of the customer base is driven by the advertisements. I wish those who are selling the real products get to promote themselves. We can also use jaggery instead of sugar and even grow stevia in the garden.

Vinod Kumar Julka, 65, Mayur Vihar
Earlier, we used to buy Dabur, and then also started buying Patanjali. It’s our daily routine to drink lemon water with honey in the morning. But the latest report made us realise that we can’t trust the big brands. I have got to know that the beekeepers in Sunderbans don’t even get the right price for their honey. The government should promote local honey producers. I will also look for a local source of honey in villages through my contacts, and discontinue buying these brands.