Australian company rejects claim on antibiotics in its honey

NEW DELHI - Australian company Capilano Friday denied a report that its honey contains higher levels of antibiotics than the prescribed standards, saying it produces clean honey and exports to over 40 countries.

The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has said branded honey sold in India could be contaminated with harmful antibiotics. The CSE’s pollution monitoring laboratory tested 12 leading brands of honey sold in Delhi, including those made by Indian companies such as Dabur, Himalaya, Patanjali, Baidyanath and Khadi as well as by two foreign companies based in Switzerland and Australia.

Scientists found high levels of six harmful antibiotics in 11 samples, with only the Indian Hitkari brand coming out clean.

“Capilano’s own test results on the batches of honey, identified by the dates on the packaging of the product identified in reports, show no detection of the residues alleged to be in the honey. These dates indicate a product that was allegedly packed by Capilano 30 months ago,” the company said in a statement, rejecting the CSE findings.

Capilano Managing Director Roger Masters said the company had found counterfeit products previously in Thailand and Indonesia where it had been copied to the extent that it was neither Capilano honey, nor even a product from Australia.

“Recently Capilano objected to trademark applications commenced in India to register a look-a-like name Capilona,” the company added.

It said Australia is the last country in the world free of the varroa mite, present in all other honey-producing continents. Other countries use chemicals to combat this bee disease, which can emerge in their honey.