Fact Check: 'SaffolaFraud' trends after Honeygate; company says each batch faces NMR test

A new twist emerged in the honey adulteration fiasco after social media posts claimed that Saffola - one of the brands that passed the stringent NMR test - sources its honey from Apis, which failed the same purity test. Shortly after, posts emerged that such claims were claims and Saffola doesn't source its honey from Apis.

A recent report by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) showed that only three honey brands - Saffola, MarkfedSohna and Nature's Nectar - out of 13 passed the stringent NMR test for testing the purity of their product. It claimed that household names including Dabur, Patanjali, Baidyanath, Zandu, Hitkari and Apis were adulterating their honey with a modified sugar imported from China, which can bypass domestic standard tests.

ALSO READ: Honeygate! Only Saffola, MarkfedSohna, Nature's Nectar among 13 brands pass sugar syrup test, claims CSE

Notably, NMR test has been made mandatory for honey being exported to other countries, but not for sale in India.

With #SaffolaFraud trending on Twitter, users were divided on whether to believe the brand or not.

It all began with a Twitter post that stated: "SHOCKING to see a brand like Saffola fooling their customers here is a video where you can clearly see that Saffola takes its honey, from APIS. APIS honey has failed the NMR test then how come @SaffolaHoney has passed the test? This should be brought to light. #SaffolaFraud"

See the video here.

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Saffola assured that every batch of its honey is independently tested for purity, irrespective of where it is packaged. "Saffola guarantees 100 per cent purity of its honey irrespective of the packaging location. Every batch of Saffola Honey is tested using NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) technology, which is one of the most advanced tests in the world, in the best in class international laboratories to ensure that it is 100 per cent pure, free from added sugars and free from any form of adulteration," a Saffola spokesperson told BusinessToday.In.

To further allay fears, the company added that buyers can check the "certificate of purity" for the bottle of Saffola Honey they have purchased by sending an image of its batch details to CSC@marico.com.

ALSO READ: How notorious Chinese firms sell sugar syrup to adulterate honey in India