Hyderabad: Antibiotics are found in branded honey as they are used to promote growth of bees, prevent diseases in them and also increase volumes to meet commercial requirements, according to recent checks carried out in these farms. Honey and fisheries like prawns, fish and other sea foods have regulations imposed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India but they are not being followed.
The FSSAI has found that despite regulations on the quantity of antibiotics to be used in feeds, the actual use is very high. For this reason, FSSAI wants that antibiotics sold to farmers for poultry, animals and fisheries must be registered and their intake monitored to control the use.
Dr. Saurabh Arora of Food Safety Helpline explained “Honey and fisheries, despite having regulations, are found to have the highest use. The guidelines of the FSSAI state that there must be restricted use of antibiotics in feed and feed supplement. But that is not being followed. The abuse is very high and for that reason registering the intake is important.”
Experts state that honey when used on a regular basis can lead to damage to the kidney, liver, bone and teeth due to the use of antibiotics like cholraphenicol, ciprofloxacin and erythromycin.
Fish breeders were found to use antibiotics in the fish cultivation which is carried out in controlled pockets or fisheries. The fish are given antibiotics in the feed and the larger breeds are also being given injections, it was found. The abuse was noted in parts of Tamil Nadu and AP, stated senior food inspectors on condition of anonymity.
