Tesco’s house-brand honey suspected of adulteration
After the horsemeat scandal, the UK’s National Food Crime Unit was formed. This time round, they’re investigating Tesco’s in-house honey, ‘Tesco Clear Honey 454g’.
British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer Tesco was thrust into the spotlight after tests suggested their honey had been bulked out with cheap syrups. The UK imports 90% of the 24 000 tons of honey sold in the country annually, much of it from China.
A laboratory in Richmond, south-west London, indicated that the honey contains cheap syrups made from ordinary sugar.
Sugar is one of the most common adulterants used in honey fraud.
A spokesperson for the Richmond council said, “The findings of the analysis are that there is likely to be adulteration with non-natural products.”
The results have been handed over to the Food Standards Agency and the National Food Crime Unit to follow up with Tesco. The retailer insists its £1.35 (R25) honey is genuine.
Professor Chris Elliot, who led the horsemeat investigation, told The Sunday Times newspaper that the retailer should act swiftly in removing the product from their shelves.
Tesco’s spokesperson said: “Tesco-brand honey is 100% pure, natural, and can be directly tracked back to the beekeeper.
“We carry out regular tests to ensure our honey is fully compliant with all the legal requirements.” But as a precautionary measure, they have temporarily withdrawn the product to conduct further tests.
Adulteration of honey chips away the worth and value of pure honey, as it does not have the same health benefits that the natural sweetener is known for.
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