Food adulteration is a menace, which all of us face regularly.
Detection of adulteration in food is an essential requirement for ensuring safety of foods we consume.
Among man’s everyday needs, food plays a major sustaining role. From the simple dish to the most elaborate haute cuisine, food preparation is as varied and rich as man’s taste. The lure of riches and general apathy towards mankind has led to adulterants being added to food from the simple stones in rice to the more harmful brick and boric powder.
Some Substandard and Misbranded food products (found to be adulterated with dangerous coloring agents) are being sold in the state of Jammu & Kashmir. As per reports from the Central Food Laboratory which was doing analysis on the samples of some of the products, has concluded that the products are unsafe for human consumption and even may lead to Cancer.
Food adulteration is a dangerous malpractice as it can lead to serious health problems and can even prove fatal. The usage of non-authentic substances in food items is strictly prohibited under the Indian law and the same applies to export oriented units. Any violation of the provisions of FSS Act/Rules & Regulations is liable for penalties and may invite prosecution.
Some common foods and how they can be found adulterated
Milk could be found adulterated by adding water or by removing the cream or by adding artificial coloring agents like Annatto, ceramel, coal tar colors and preservatives like formaldehyde, boric & other acids etc.
Meat & Eggs could be found adulterated by adding preservatives like potassium nitrate, boric & other acids etc. Coloring matter like Aniline red and cochineal-carmine is usually added colors.
In Vegetable, malachite green is used for bright glowing green color which may be carcinogenic for humans.
Martius Yellow being used to enhance the Yellow color of food substances. It can be carcinogenic and could cause stomach disorders.
Argemone & Papaya Seeds being used in Mustard seeds could cause epidemic dropsy and severe glucoma.
Starch being added to give rich texture to paneer, khoya & condensed milk and could cause stomach disorders.
Pepperoil is added to ice cream which would cause Kidney, lung and heart diseases.
Coffee Powder is adulterated through Tamarind seeds. Chicory powder being used as coloring agent & to add weight.
Injectable dyes in watermelon, peas, capsicum, brinjal, papaya seeds.
Raw vegetables and fruits are commonly adulterated with malachite green, wax, oxytocin, copper sulphate, saccharin, and calcium carbide. Milk in India is adulterated with water, urea, detergent, and fat, while khoya is adulterated with blotting paper, refined oil and skimmed milk powder. Black pepper is adulterated with papaya seeds. One study in India conducted in 2006 revealed that 64% of alcohol samples tested were positive for methanol content. It is pertinent to mention that consumption of even 30 milliliters of methanol can be fatal.
Causes of adulteration of food include demand and supply gap, perishable nature of consumable products, poor purchasing power of customers, unorganised condition of dairy industry and other food processing units, lack of strict and effective regulatory system, lack of appropriate, rapid and definite tests, and of course, the lack of ethics and greed of people.
The FSSAI, 2012 norms classify adulterants into three types, namely, intentional, incidental and metallic. Intentional adulterants that are added in foods include water, sand, stones, chalk powder, marble chips, talc, to name a few.
Incidental adulterants include droppings of rodents, larvae in foods, and pesticides residues.
Metallic contaminants include lead, arsenic, effluent from chemical industries, etc.
Adulteration degrades the quality of food and also causes health hazards. Adulterated food is impure, unwholesome and unsafe for human beings. Humans are very sensitive to food adulteration, and sometimes exhibit instantaneous side effects, such as diarrhea, dysentery, and vomiting. It is reported that 57% of people (32% children and 25% adults) have developed health problems due to ingestion of adulterated and contaminated foods worldwide. The consumption of adulterated foods can lead to various illnesses like stomach disorder, heart problems, brain damage, paralysis, lack of sleep, liver disorder, heartburn, nausea, vomiting, giddiness, diarrhea, dysentery, acidity, ulcer, autism, cancer, kidney malfunction, joint pain, asthma, metabolic dysfunctions, food poisoning, eyesight problems, skin disorders, etc.
Polluted water acts as vehicle for pathogens that cause diseases. It is reported that unhygienic water is most commonly added in milk, and ingestion of such adulterated milk can result in diseases of multiple etiologies, which include viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and helminthes. Some of these diseases carry high morbidity as well as mortality in both sexes and in all age groups.
The social outfits and the people of the state have opined that a strict penalty with a severe punishment is required to control the activities of rising food adulteration in the state.
