Honey Bees

Following the CSE study, the Rajya Sabha – in the parliament's winter session in 2010 – raised the issue of antibiotics in honey. The then minister of state for agriculture, consumer affairs, food and public distribution, K V Thomas, in a written reply to the parliament acknowledged the fact that the European Union had banned the export of honey from India on account of positive detection of heavy metals and other contaminants.

The Government of India (GoI) had directed the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to analyse the study done by the Centre for Science and Environment on the presence of antibiotics in honey sold commercially. The action came after the GoI took cognizance of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) study stating presence of antibiotics in 12 brands of honey sold across the country. 12 brands of honey tested, of which two were International brands, were found to contain antibiotics from the banned Chloramphenicol to the broad spectrum Ciprofloxacin and Erythromycin.

New Delhi, September 18, 2010:
Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has come out with a strong rebuttal of claims made by Capilano, the Australian honey producing firm, which has rejected the tests on honey conducted by CSE’s Pollution Monitoring Lab.

A latest study by CSE’s Pollution Monitoring Lab finds antibiotic contamination in honey; investigations by Down To Earth points to double standards in regulations as foreign brands sold in India also have contamination

The Government of India (GoI) had directed the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to analyse the study done by the Centre for Science and Environment on the presence of antibiotics in honey sold commercially.

Minister of state for agriculture, consumer affairs, food and public distribution, Prof K V Thomas in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha on CSE’s report also stated that the European Union had banned the export of honey from India, on account of positive detection of heavy metals and other contaminants, reported in the Residual Monitoring Plan.