On behalf of the State Commission for Combating Illegal Traffic in Industrial Products, Roskachestvo conducts constant monitoring of the honey market. Rotary and targeted research is carried out monthly in various regions and trade channels. The agency summed up the results of testing honey from 16 private brands of the largest retail chains and inexpensive honey in the retail chain channel. Based on the results of the study, it was established that the manufacturers of these brands and retail chains produce and sell counterfeit goods.
Valentyn Volkov/Shutterstock/Fotodom
What was checked: 3 trademarks (TM) on the label are declared as linden and buckwheat honey, another 3 are herbs, 7 trademarks are flower honey. According to GOST 19792–2017 “Natural honey. Technical conditions" produced honey of 10 brands, according to GOST 31766–2022 "Monofloral honeys. Technical conditions" – 5 TM, according to technical specifications – 1 TM. All TMs purchased for research from various federal networks turned out to be produced by three large manufacturers:
- LLC "Honey Valley" ("Honey Valley" (linden), Spar (floral), "Honey Valley" (forbs));
- LLC "Honey House" ("Every Day" (buckwheat), "Grandfather's Beehive" (linden), "Okay Daily" (floral), "Honey Edge" (forbs), "Honey Edge" (linden));
- LLC "TD Voyal" ("365 days" (floral), "Our Siberia" (buckwheat), "Our Siberia" (flower "Field spaces"), "Our Siberia" (flower "Mountain"), "Our Siberia" ( floral “Taiga Gift”), “Ribbon” (buckwheat), “Simply” (forbs), “Your choice” (floral).
The study revealed three types of falsification:
Adulteration by adding syrup to honey. A mixture of honey with sugar syrup (wheat and corn origin) was found in the following brands: “Honey Valley” (floral), “Every Day” (buckwheat), Spar (floral), 365 days (floral, made according to specifications, but according to the indicators does not correspond to natural honey), “Our Siberia” (floral “Field spaces”), “Our Siberia” (floral “Mountain”), “Grandfather’s Beehive” (linden), Okay Daily (floral), “Simply” (forbs ), “Honey Land” (forbs), “Honey Land” (linden), “Honey Valley” (linden).
The proline content, its content below the standard, indicates that the honey was selected immature, adulterated or overheated. The study showed that there are 6 brands of honey (“Grandfather’s Beehive” (linden), “365 days” (floral), “Honey Edge” (linden), “Nasha Sibir” (floral “field spaces”), “Okay Daily "(floral), "Simply" (forbs)) the proline content turned out to be uncharacteristic for natural honey. Thus, we can say that this honey is diluted and could be adulterated.
The inconsistency of the botanical origin of honey is determined by the content of the enzyme diastase. A discrepancy was identified in the trademarks “Our Siberia” (floral “Taiga Gift”), “Lenta” (buckwheat), Nasha Siberia (floral “Field Spaces”), “Honey Land” (forbs), “Your Choice” (floral), "365 days" (floral). The diastase number in the products of these brands is not typical for natural honey and for the declared types of honey, which confirms the fact of falsification and misleading of the consumer.
The laboratory also determined what kind of honey the manufacturer actually put in the jar by assessing the number of dominant pollen grains (that is, which pollen grains are more numerous, such honey is). Here's what the study showed:
Honey under the brand name “Our Siberia” is declared as flower honey, but in reality it turned out to be sunflower. Honey under the trademark “Honey Valley” is declared as linden or “forbs”, but in the first case, linden pollen grains are in second place after meadowsweet, in the second case – sunflower honey. “Lenta” is declared as buckwheat, but it contains more cruciferous pollen grains (buckwheat is in second place). “Honey Land” and “Simply!” – are declared as “forbs”, but in reality there are more sunflower grains. Spar, “Okay Daily”, “Your Choice” and “365 Days” are stated as floral, but are actually sunflower.
Thus, Roskachestvo states that none of the studied brands meets the mandatory requirements of the law, as it has signs of falsification.
“The results of Roskachestvo research traditionally show the objective situation in various segments of the Russian market and serve as a catalyst for making timely government decisions. The study revealed a serious problem of adulteration in the honey market. This is unacceptable, because honey is an original Russian product and its quality is especially important for Russians. The issue will be taken under systematic parliamentary control, and Roskachestvo will continue monitoring the situation. I am sure this will make unscrupulous sellers and manufacturers realize that their time of impunity and lawlessness is over. They will have to radically change their approach and strictly comply with all legal requirements. Together we will do everything to ensure that on the shelves of our stores there is only high-quality and real honey, worthy of the trust of our citizens,” said Sergei Mitin , First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Agricultural and Food Policy and Environmental Management.
Rosselkhoznadzor reported that LLC TD Voyal, LLC Medovaya Dolina and LLC Honey House issued warnings about the inadmissibility of violating mandatory requirements. In addition, two declarations of conformity for the products “Natural flower honey” TM “Your Choice” (produced by Voyal Trade House LLC) and “Natural flower linden honey” TM “Honey Valley” (produced by Medovaya Dolina LLC) are not meeting the requirements of technical regulations and legislation of the Russian Federation, are declared invalid by Rosakkreditatsiya, such honey cannot be sold in retail outlets.
TD Voyal LLC sent information about taking measures based on the information received and implementing a number of corrective measures. Based on the results of the activities, an application for repeated testing was sent. Honey House LLC informed Roskachestvo that it had stopped violating the law and requested test purchases of products from new batches of production.
The quality service of the Lenta retail chain reported that there was no “Our Siberia” trademark left on the balance of this batch. Also, the network stated that control over product quality has been strengthened. The Spar trading network informed about the suspension of the sale of a batch of the tested Spar TM products and about working with the supplier. The Globus retail chain announced that it is working with a supplier under the “Your Choice” trademark.
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