MAM
Top honey brands fail international quality test
KOLKATA: Among top honey brands in India, majority have failed to make it through a stringent quality test. According to the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), brands including Dabur, Patanjali, Emami have flunked the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) test that was carried out at a lab in Germany, bringing focus on the adulteration of packaged honey in Indian markets.
Food researchers at CSE selected 13 top brands and some smaller brands that sell processed and raw honey in India to check their purity. The researchers found that 77 per cent of the samples were adulterated with sugar syrup. Out of the 22 samples that were checked, only five passed all the tests.
Marico’s Saffola Honey has cleared the litmus along with two other brands – Markfed Sohna and Nature's Nectar. However, Dabur has already countered saying its honey has passed NMR test. For the record, the NMR test is required only for exporting honey, and not for local marketing in India.
After the report was released, Dabur has categorically stated that its honey is not adulterated with sugar syrup. “Dabur is the only company in India to have an NMR testing equipment in our own laboratory, and the same is used to regularly test our honey being sold in the Indian market. This is to ensure that Dabur Honey is 100 per cent pure without any adulteration,” it said in a statement.
On the other hand, Patanjali Ayurved MD Acharya Balkrishna claimed that the CSE report is an attempt to downplay Indian honey and promote German technology. An Emami spokesperson also said that its Zandu Pure Honey conforms to all the protocols during production and adheres to quality norms and standards.
“It is a food fraud more nefarious and sophisticated than what we found in our 2003 and 2006 investigations into soft drinks; more damaging to our health than perhaps anything that we have found till now – keeping in mind the fact that we are still fighting against a killer Covid2019 pandemic with our backs to the wall. This overuse of sugar in our diet will make it worse," Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) director general Sunita Narain said.
Brands
Nestlé weighs trimming ice cream footprint and Froneri stak
Swiss giant reviews options including stake cut in €15bn JV as it eyes higher-margin focus post-Unilever split.
MUMBAI: Nestlé is melting down its ice cream ambitions or at least scooping back a few spoonfuls amid a strategic review that could see it slim its stake in blockbuster joint venture Froneri. According to a Bloomberg report published 18 February 2026, the Swiss food and beverage powerhouse is mulling a reduced presence in the global ice cream segment. Options on the table include trimming its holding in Froneri, the joint venture with private equity firm PAI Partners that houses crowd-pleasers like Häagen-Dazs, Mövenpick, and Rowntree’s or even shifting some of Nestlé’s remaining wholly owned ice cream operations into the JV.
Discussions remain fluid, with no final decisions locked in and no guarantee of any transaction materialising. One scenario has PAI Partners boosting its ownership if Nestlé pulls back, while another could see the Swiss group offloading a portion of its stake to an existing investor like the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA).
Froneri itself got a hefty valuation boost in October (likely 2025), when Goldman Sachs and ADIA poured in fresh capital, pegging the business at around €15 billion (about $17.69 billion). The move turned heads in the sector, especially as Unilever spun off its ice cream arm last year into the now-independent Magnum Ice Cream Company freeing both giants to chase sunnier, higher-margin pastures.
Nestlé’s rethink, reportedly overseen by new CEO Philipp Navratil as he sifts through the company’s vast portfolio, mirrors broader industry trends: consumer giants are sharpening focus on core strengths amid shifting tastes and profitability pressures. Ice cream might be delicious, but it’s not always the creamiest part of the balance sheet.
Whether this ends in a stake sale, JV expansion, or just more pondering, the frozen dessert world could soon see another ownership shake-up. For now, Nestlé isn’t screaming “last orders” but it’s definitely checking the freezer temperature.
