Lok Sabha Question No. 1994 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-02-12
Subject: Adulteration in Honey
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Kanakmal Katara, Sajda Ahmed

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1994 TO BE ANSWERED ON 12 TH FEBRUARY, 2021

## ADULTERATION IN HONE Y

## 1994. SHRI KANAKMAL KATARA : SHRIMATI SAJDA AHMED :

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WE LFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government/ Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is aware of therecent reports of adulteration of honey produced by the r puted brands across the country, if so, the details thereof and the number of such cases reported, company and location - wise;
- (b) whether the Government has detected the presence of sugar syrup beyond the permissible level in these honey brands, if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether cas es of foreign honey brands selling adulterated honey have gone undetected by the Government if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (d) whether FSSAI has any regulatory framework in place to check the adulteration of honey, if so, the details thereof and the action taken against these brands;
- (e) the other measures taken to curb such practices; and
- (f) whether the Government has introduced online food safety compliance system and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE M INISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a): Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has informed that Centre for Science and Environment ( CSE )had carried out an investigation in whi ch samples of honey were tested for various FSSAI approved parameters and some oth er tests also. Their report is available in public domain at the url -https://cdn.cseindia. org/userfiles/cse - investigation - honey.pdf.

(b) &(c): As per reports rece ived till date from States/UTs and Centr al Licensing Authorities (CLAs), one sample has been found positive for the presence of  Specific Marker for Rice 2AFGP (2-Acetylfuran - 3- Glucopyranoside), which  has to be  negative as per the clause 2.8 (1) of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations 2011 and based on which the product was assessed as unsafe as per section 3(1)(zz) of Food Safety and Standards ( FSS )Act, 2006 by the CLA and notice was served to the concerned Food Business Operator (FBO) .

(d)& (e): The  standards for honey are prescribed under Regulation 2.8.3 of Food Safety Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011. These  standa have been strengthened and revised  and vide Advisory dated  01.07.202 0

A direction has been issued for operationalising draft Food Safety and Standards (Food Products  Standards  and  Food  Additive)  Amendment  Regulations,  2020  w.r.t.  revision standards for honey and , thereby, implementing the revised ho ney standards for 17 parameters . These standards prescri be the limits for various quality parameters which are characteristics to pure honey. Several additional parameters are considered in the revised standards such sugar test, 13C/12C isot opic ratio, pollen count/g M i n,  antibiotic and veterinary drugs residues, Specific marker or  f Rice Syrup (SMR), subsequently renamed as 2- Acetyl Furan - 3Glucophranoside (AFGP), Foreign Oligosaccharides etc. to detect and prevent  adulterati honey with other sugars.

FSSAI's sta ndardsof honey are quite s ringent as compared to the standards globally.

The implementation and enforcement of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 primaril lies  with  the  State/  UT  Governments.  Regular  surveillance,  monitoring  and  inspection undert aken by State/UT Governments under FSS Act, 2006 to check compliance of the relate Rules  and  Regulations.  Random  Samples  of  food  items  are  drawn  by  the  State  Food  Safe Officers and sent to the laboratories recognized by FSSAI for analysis. In cases wher e samples are found to be not conforming to the provisions of the Act and the Rules and Regulations there under, recourse is taken to penal provisions under Chapter IX of the FSS Act, 2006.

Commissioner  of  Food  Safety  of all  States/UTs  h ave  beenadvis ed  vide  letter  dated 18.12.2020 to immediately carry out the inspection of all the honey manufacturing units their jurisdiction with a special focus on the presence /evidence of Golden Syrup/Invert Sugar Syrup/Rice  Syrup/HFCS  or  any  other  sugar  syrup in  the  premise  an  also  enhance  the surveillance, sampling and enforcement to check the use of such syrup in honey.

To  contain  the  misuse  of  imported  Golden  syrup/invert  sugar  syrup/rice  syrup production of honey, instructions have been issued to all Au thorised Officers on 20 th May, 2020 that  all  importers/FBOs importing  Golden  Syrup/Invert  Sugar  Syrup/Rice  Syrup  into  India should submit necessa ry documents at scrutiny stage regarding details of the manufacturer (s) with end use to whom the aforesaid imported food items will be supplied.

(f): To shift the focus from merely issuance of License and Registration through the por compliance based system, FSSAI has launched Food Safety Compliance System (FoSCoS) pan -India  w.e.f. 1 st November  2020  toreplace  Food  Licensing  and  Registration  System  (FLRS). FoSCoS  is  conceptualized  to  provide  one  point  stop  for  all  engagement  of  an  FBO  with department  for  any  regulatory  compliance  transaction.  FoSCoS  is  integrated  with  di Inspection  System  viz.  F ood  Safety  Compliance  through  Regular  Inspections  and  Sampling (FoSCoRIS).