Food adulteration: Growing malaise in India

By M L Satyan

Coimbatore, Sept 25, 2024: In India the hot news today is “Tirupati Laddu.” All these years the devotees were consuming the laddus without any suspicion. Since it is a temple prasadam there is a deep religious sentiment attached to it. That sentiment is shattered now.

Due to this controversy happening at the famous Tirupati temple people are worried that the prasad (food offered to God and then given to devotees) might be adulterated, which means it could have harmful or fake ingredients. This issue now has become a “wake-up call” on food safety. It is also a reminder that food adulteration is a huge problem in India, and not enough is being done to stop it.

Last week I went to a grocery store close to my apartment. I wanted to buy groundnut oil. The shop owner said that he has three grades of every edible oil. The first grade has only 5 percent adulteration and is expensive. The second grade is 25 percent adulterated and the cost is less. The third grade is 40 percent adulterated and it is cheap. I had a buy the expensive oil that had less adulteration.

Next, I went to a rice shop that sells rice on a wholesale price. The shopkeeper said that he has three quality rice in every type. The diamond quality has 5 percent adulteration and is expensive. The superior quality has 15 percent adulteration is less expensive and the standard quality has 20 percent adulteration and is cheap. Naturally, I had to opt for the diamond quality that had less adulteration.

Here are some common food items that are easily adulterated:
• Honey – sugar syrup and glucose are mixed
• Turmeric – chalk powder, lead chromate and metanil yellow are mixed
• Red chilli powder – brick powder and artificial colour are mixed
• Ghee – vegetable oil, starch and vanaspati are mixed
• Pulses – artificial colour is mixed
• Rice – pebble, damaged grains and polish are mixed
• Pepper – papaya seeds are mixed
• Apples – wax coating is done to make them shine
• Salt – chalk powder is mixed
• Milk – water, urea, starch, detergent and synthetic milk are mixed
• Vegetables – oxytocin, sulphate, chemical dye and calcium carbide are mixed

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), food adulteration can be explained by the intentional addition of prohibited substances to partially or completely replace healthy ingredients or falsely produced fresh products. It is the process of reducing the quality of food items by either adding harmful substances in them or subtracting valuable things from them. Sellers do this to make more money. In today’s date, we consume adulterated food almost all the time without realising it.

Unsafe food creates a vicious cycle of disease and malnutrition, particularly affecting infants, young children, elderly and the sick. Food adulteration has been linked to diarrhoea, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, visual disturbances, headache, cancer, anaemia, insomnia, muscle paralysis, brain damage, stomach disorders, dizziness, joint pain, liver disease, dropsy, breathing difficulties, swelling, gastrointestinal problems, cardiac arrest, and glaucoma, according to food safety experts.

Here is an alarming global data:
• An estimated 600 million – almost 1 in 10 people in the world – fall ill after eating contaminated food and 420 000 die every year, resulting in the loss of 33 million healthy life years.
• US$ 110 billion is lost each year in productivity and medical expenses resulting from unsafe food in low- and middle-income countries.
• Children under 5 years of age carry 40% of the foodborne disease burden, with 125 000 deaths every year.
• Foodborne diseases impede socioeconomic development by straining health care systems and harming national economies, tourism and trade. (WHO)

What is urgently required is food safety. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is an autonomous statutory body established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (FSS Act). Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India is the administrative Ministry of FSSAI. Does this body do its job effectively? It is a million-dollar question.

Usually, when something goes wrong, like the Maggi noodles and Nestle issues, there are a lot of inspections and bans for a while, but then it is forgotten eventually. Similarly, adulteration in mid-day meal program in schools and children getting affected are reported regularly from various parts of the country. Sadly, there are no severe actions taken to punish the culprits and also introduce preventive measures.

The Tirupati issue may have a political dimension. If the adulteration is true, then, it is a serious breach of trust and it shows that this problem is widespread. Food regulators (the people in charge of keeping our food safe) still have a lot of work to do to solve this problem for good.

WHO has introduced five strategic priorities (2022-2030);

1) Strengthening national food control systems
2) Identifying and responding to food safety challenges resulting from global challenges in food systems transformation
3) Improving the use of food chain information, scientific evidence and risk assessment in making risk management decisions
4) Strengthening stakeholder engagement and risk communication
5) Promoting food safety as an essential component in domestic, regional and international food trade

All responsible citizens, communities, societies, states and countries need to initiate relevant measures to implement these strategies effectively in order to lead a healthy life and make the life of future generation better.