The study, which tested leading brands of honey, found high levels of antibiotics – from the banned chloramphenicol to broad spectrum ciprofloxacin and erythromycin – in almost all brands sold in the market. The leading Indian honey producers -- Dabur, Baidyanath, Patanjali Ayurveda, Khadi, Himalaya – all had two-four antibiotics in their products, much above the stipulated standards. But what is even worse and shows the regulatory double-standards is that the two foreign brands tested by CSE – from Australia and Switzerland – had high levels of antibiotics and would certainly be illegal in their own countries.

“It is clear that foreign companies are taking advantage of the lack of regulations in India. After all, if our government does not care about the health of its people, why should these companies care?” said Sunita Narain, director, CSE, at the release of the study’s findings here today. “We have standards for antibiotic contamination in the honey we export. Government even tests and certifies that exported honey meets health and safety regulations. But we do not have any standards for domestic honey. This is clearly unacceptable.”

Besides the presence of the contaminants, investigations by CSE has also exposed the murky underbelly of the international honey trade, where fraud, deceit and illegal trade practices rule the roost (see Factsheet on international trade for details).

To begin with, two key questions
1. Antibiotics are medicines. So why are they bad in honey?
Studies have pointed out that chronic exposure to antibiotics – doses taken in small amounts on a daily basis for a long period -- can lead to a variety of health problems. For instance, exposure to oxytetracycline, one of the antibiotics tested by the CSE lab, can lead to blood-related disorders and liver injury. But more importantly, antibiotics in honey (and perhaps other foods as well) have the potential to generate large-scale antibiotic resistance, leading to a collapse of healthcare systems and medications (see Factsheet on antibiotic resistance and health impacts).