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.
Food adulteration is the act of intentionally debasing the quality of food offered for sale either by the admixture or substitution of inferior substances or by the removal of some valuable ingredient.
Adulteration of food commonly defined as “the addition or subtraction of any substance to or from food, so that the natural composition and quality of food substance is affected”. Adulteration is either intentional by either removing substances to food or altering the existing natural properties of food knowingly. Unintentional adulteration is usually attributed to ignorance’s, carelessness or lack of facilities for maintaining food quality. Incidental contamination during the period of growth, harvesting, storage, processing, transport and distribution of foods are also considered.
Adulteration can be at the time of harvesting, storage, processing, transportation or distribution.
Adulterant means any material which is or could be employed for making the food unsafe or sub-standard or mis-branded or containing extraneous matter.
Food is declared adulterated when cheaper or inferior substances are added wholly or in part to a substance which depreciates or injuriously affects it, if it is an imitation and It is colored or otherwise treated, to improve its appearance or if it contains any added substance injurious to health.For whatever reasons its quality is below the Standard Adulterated food is dangerous because it may be toxic and can affect health and it could deprive nutrients essential for proper growth and development.
Some of the common adulterated foods are milk and milk products, Atta, edible oils, cereals, condiments, pulses, coffee, tea, confectionary, baking powder, non-alcoholic beverages, vinegar, besan and curry powder etc.
There are different types of adulterants eg; Intentional Adulterants are Sand, marble chips, stones, mud, other filth, talc, chalk powder, water, mineral oil and harmful colour. Incidental adulterants are Pesticide residues, droppings of rodents, larvae in foods.
Metallic contaminants can be Arsenic from pesticides, lead from water, effluent from chemical industries, tin etc.
Poisonous or Deleterious Substances which if contained in food may render it injurious to health, examples of such adulterations are, apple cider contaminated with E.coli O157:H7 and Brie cheese contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
If food contains poisonous substance in excess of a tolerance, regulatory limit, mixing it with “clean” food to reduce the level of contamination is not allowed. The deliberate mixing of adulterated food with good food renders the finished product adulterated
A food is adulterated if it omits a valuable constituent or substitutes another substance, in whole or in part, for a valuable constituent (for instance, olive oil diluted with tea tree oil); conceals damage or inferiority in any manner (such as fresh fruit with food coloring on its surface to conceal defects); or any substance has been added to it or packed with it to increase its bulk or weight, reduce its quality or strength, or make it appear bigger or of greater value than it is (for example, scallops to which water has been added to make them heavier).
Microbiological Contamination and Adulteration is when food is contaminated with pathogens. Generally, for ready-to-eat foods, the presence of pathogens will render the food adulterated. For example, the presence of Salmonella on fresh fruits or vegetables or in ready-to-eat meat or poultry products will render those products adulterated.
The citizens also owe responsibility to check this menace. It is the duty of every citizen to not to overlook instances of adulteration and should take active interest in exposing and condemning them. They should be prompt in giving information about specific instances of adulteration by reporting it personally or by post or telephonically to the relevant authorities. They should offer full cooperation and help drives against adulteration of food and provide lawful assistance to food inspectors in drawing of samples of adulterated articles. Be ready to act as a witness and to give evidence in court in such cases. Always prefer to buy AG mark or ISI marked and packed products. Avoid buying loose, unpacked food items.
To check menace of food adulteration, Government of India enacted “Prevention of Food Adulteration Act’ (PEA) in 1954. Since the Act was based on international standards, as such keeping in mind the Indian conditions, there have been some amendments in the Act in years 1968, 1973 and 1978-79 to safe-guard the consumer’s interests. Section-7 of the Act Prohibits manufacture, sale, etc., of certain articles of food- As per which no person shall himself or by any person on his behalf manufacture for sale, or store, sell or distribute- (i) any adulterated food; (ii) any misbranded food; (iii) any article of food for the sale of which a license is prescribed, except in accordance with the conditions of the license; (iv) any article of food the sale of which is for the time being prohibited by the Food (Health) Authority in the interest of public health; (v) any article of food in contravention of any other provision of this Act or of any rule made there under; (vi) any adulterant.
