Bitter Marico-Dabur war over honey adulteration offers food for thought

When the issue concerns people's health, it's more than just a clash of brands, says experts

The report on the adulteration of honey, brought out by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), has opened up a Pandora's box. What began as an investigation into alleged malpractices by domestic manufacturers has escalated into a full-blown battle between two prominent players in the category: Marico and Dabur.

Marico made the first move, saying that Dabur's claim that its honey passed the German NMR test was misleading. The complaint, made to the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) on Thursday, was after Dabur released ads in national dailies in response to the CSE report on Wednesday where it was