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Leading companies in the packaged honey segment including Dabur India, Patanjali Ayurved and Baidyanath Group among other stakeholders have come together to set up an industry body called the India Honey Alliance (IHA).
The industry body said that members of this all-inclusive alliance include honey companies, exporters, bee-keepers, farmers, processors and experts and it will serve as a unified voice of the stakeholders operating in the honey ecosystem.
The founder members include Dabur India, Patanjali Ayurved, Baidyanath Group, Hamdard Laboratories, Brij Honey, Kashmir Honey, Hitkary Honey, and Consocia Advisory.
Ensuring purity
“The alliance will singularly focus on ensuring pure and safe honey for consumers along with the growth of all the stakeholders in the value chain. It intends to give equal visibility to all people involved in the honey business,” a statement from IHA said.
Shahrukh Khan, Chairperson, IHA, said, “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.”
Adulteration-free
He said, “We are bringing together every player ranging from the smallest beekeeper to the biggest marketer and experts, researchers, and scientists to reinforce consumers’ trust globally that Indian honey is adulteration-free.”
The industry body added that it has already initiated a dialogue with the Central Government and will be closely working with consumers and scientific bodies. “IHA is promoting science-based quality standards for Indian honey to improve the current practices of sourcing, testing, packaging, etc,” the statement added.
Purity check failed
The setting up of this body comes a few months after a report by Center for Science and Environment had alleged that ten out of 13 honey brands failed purity tests. While the brands had denied the claims, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had also reviewed the report.
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