DOST Study Reveals 80% Of Sold Honey Is Probably Fake
YOUR HONEY IS PROBABLY FAKE – According to a recently published study from the Department of Science and Technology, most honey products sold in markets is artificial.
Good quality products is hard to come by. Due to restrictions in production, most companies find alternatives that come close to the product instead. This way, they can pump out more products at a cheaper costs. Unfortunately, this has also happened in the honey industry.
Using nuclear-based tests, researchers from the agency’s Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) revealed that most honey products use artificial sugars from sugargane and corn.
Based on an article from CNN, DOST-PNRI’s Dr. Angel Bautista VII said:
Around 62 (82%) out of the 76 of honey brands that were found to be adulterated were composed of 95% C4 sugar syrup. So, they are not actually adulterated but they are just completely purely sugar syrup
Furthermore, 12 out of 16 locally sourced honey brands or around 75 percent of honey sold in groceries souvenir stores are “not entirely honey”. On the other hand, 87 percent of local honey products or those sold online are impure.
During their research, 64 out of 74 items tested were found to have additional substances mixed in with the honey. As per the article, Bautista stated:
You may be buying honey for its wonderful health benefits, but because of adulteration, you may actually just be buying pure sugar syrup
Meanwhile, it should be noted that the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards’ National Standard for Honey states that honey sold in markets shouldn’t contain any food additives or other substances aside from honey.
Moreover, if they do place additives, the label should indicate the ingredients as well as well the honey was sourced. Violations of this would incur the following penalties:
First conviction: Fine between ₱50,000 and ₱100,000, and suspension of appropriate authorization for one month.
Second conviction: Fine between ₱100,000 and ₱200,000, and suspension of appropriate authorization for three months.
Third conviction: Fine between ₱200,000 and ₱300,000, and suspension of appropriate authorization for six months.