Health Risk: Nepal orders recall of Dabur Honey batch after food safety tests fail, Consumers urged to stop use immediately

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s food safety authority has ordered an urgent market recall of a large batch of Dabur Honey after laboratory tests found the product failed key food quality and hygiene standards, triggering serious public health concerns across the Nepal and South Asian consumer market.

The Department of Food Technology and Quality Control issued the warning after identifying problems in Dabur Honey’s widely sold 500-gram glass jar product under Batch Number NB00477, manufactured in December 2025. The government has issued an urgent nationwide recall for over 500,000 jars of substandard Dabur Honey.

According to the DoFTQC officials, the affected product batch did not meet mandatory food safety and quality benchmarks during laboratory examination. Authorities have now instructed retailers, wholesalers, distributors, supermarkets, and local grocery stores across Nepal to immediately remove the product from shelves and stop further sales and distribution.

The recall is considered significant because the 500-gram packaging is among the company’s highest-selling honey products in Nepal and the wider South Asian region, raising concerns about large-scale consumer exposure.

Officials warned that businesses continuing to sell the affected batch could face legal action under Nepal’s Food Hygiene and Quality Act, 2081.

Public health concerns rise over contaminated honey risks

The recall has generated heightened concern because honey is widely consumed daily by children, elderly people, and health-conscious consumers. In Nepal and neighboring countries, honey is commonly used as a household remedy for coughs, sore throats, digestion, and wellness support.

Health experts warn that substandard or contaminated honey may pose serious risks, particularly to vulnerable groups with weaker immune systems.

Medical professionals note that contaminated honey can potentially contain harmful bacterial spores, excessive chemical residues, or other impurities that may create dangerous health complications if consumed regularly.

Risks for infants and children

Experts say one of the most serious concerns linked to unsafe honey products is the possibility of bacterial contamination, including spores associated with infant botulism. Young children and infants are considered particularly vulnerable because their immune systems are still developing.

Potential symptoms linked to contaminated honey exposure may include muscle weakness, breathing difficulties, fatigue, digestive complications, and severe infections in high-risk cases.

Doctors generally advise parents to exercise caution while giving honey products to infants and small children, especially when product quality verification is uncertain.

Elderly consumers also face elevated risks

Older adults and individuals with underlying medical conditions may also face increased health risks from contaminated or substandard food products. Health experts say poor-quality honey containing bacterial contamination or chemical impurities could contribute to gastrointestinal illness, nausea, dehydration, toxic stress on organs, and blood pressure-related complications.

Because honey is often marketed and consumed as a natural health supplement, authorities fear many consumers may unknowingly continue using affected products without checking manufacturing details.

Government urges immediate consumer action

Food safety authorities have advised consumers to immediately inspect any 500-gram Dabur Honey jars currently stored at home. Consumers are specifically being asked to verify whether the product belongs to Batch Number NB00477.

If the batch number matches, authorities recommend stopping consumption immediately and either discarding the product safely or returning it to the place of purchase.

The department has also urged travelers, overseas consumers, and families receiving grocery shipments from South Asia to verify product details carefully, as the affected batch may have circulated beyond Nepal through informal retail channels and cross-border trade.

Growing focus on food safety regulation in Nepal

The latest recall highlights increasing regulatory scrutiny over food quality, consumer safety, and imported packaged food products in Nepal’s expanding retail market.

Food safety officials say monitoring and laboratory testing of processed food items have intensified in recent years amid rising public concern over contamination, labeling compliance, and product quality standards.

Authorities have asked consumers to remain alert, verify food labels carefully, and immediately report suspected unsafe food products to regulators.