Adulterated food is the basic reason for threatening increase in the cases of cancers in Kashmir valley, says Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi, Assistant Professor in Center of Excellence, Nanotechnology and Chemistry Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals in an exclusive interview with Zeenat Zeeshan Fazil.
Excerpts:
Kashmir Images: We have lots of issues about food products here. People have apprehensions and need to know how safe our food products are?
Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi: Food adulteration is not a new phenomenon in the Valley. In fact the occurrence has recently seen a phenomenal rise, leading to a drastic increase in patients with gastric problems. But the Government of Jammu and Kashmir has time and again failed to check the standards of food products in the Valley. Adulterated food is the basic reason for threatening increase in the cases of cancers in Kashmir valley. These people should be put behind bars, and their manufacturing units closed down.
KI: What initiatives, in your view, is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) taking to curb incidence of adulteration in Kashmir Valley?
Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi: Though, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) implemented a new Act all over India in 2006 and the Act is a very good one when it comes to checking adulteration at all levels. For instance, adulteration of milk takes place during transportation, distribution and logistics. Earlier there was little punishment for milk adulterators but now strict action is taken against them. If adulterators do not abide by the new Act of FSSAI, they will face the consequences. However, its only in Kashmir that culprits are not being punished but are given safe passage as we have seen cases of Kanwal Agro Food Industries and Khyber Agro farms.
KI: Can you inform us about the food products that have the highest adulteration rate?
Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi: Adulteration in food is normally present in its most crude form and prohibited substances are either added or partly or wholly substituted. Normally the contamination/adulteration in food is done either for financial gain or due to carelessness and lack in proper hygienic condition of processing, storing, transportation and marketing. This ultimately results in a situation where consumer is either cheated or often becomes victim of diseases.
Such types of adulteration are quite common in developing countries/states and one such example is of Kashmir where food adulteration is at its highest stage. Food adulteration continues to be a major concern in milk and milk products, banned colours and dyes used in spices, uncontrolled use of growth promoters, and pesticides and other chemicals at the farm level. However, adequate precautions taken by the consumer at the time of purchase of such produce can alert him/her to avoid procurement of such food.
KI: What are the effects of food adulteration on the consumer?
Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi: Firstly, people fall sick or even die due to contamination as the toxins released by the microbes in the adulterated food plagues ones health and continued consumption of adulterated food leads to death.
KI: Do you believe that the introduction of food technology has created more scope for food adulteration?
Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi: Food technology involves both processing and packaging of food. Sometimes the consumers are given cheaper substitutes packed in good cases. The consumers will be paying higher prices unknowingly for a cheaper as well as dangerous material. This will be known only when they face health problems. Hence, food technology has given scope for food adulteration.
KI: How safe are our food laboratories?
Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi: Our laboratory is really in pathetic condition here. We lack both manpower as well as infrastructure. The laboratory is even short on high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) machine, gas liquid chromatography (GLC) machine, spectrophotometer, water testing kit and other basic equipments like projector microscope, binocular microscope and milk testing kit. All these equipments are vital. The HPLC could have been used for detection of residual pesticide in packaged drinking water and carbonated water. Also the Spectrophotometer is vital for detection of coloring agents in juices and spices.
After seeing the graph of adulterated food items here, there is a dire need to set up ‘Analytical Research Laboratory’ here which will help in keeping necessary checks and balance important for gauging and maintain the quality. For example when you send a sample outside the state for testing during this period not only the composition of sample changes but at times results also vary.
If you have a ARL facility here in the city centre then a Health inspector or an officer concerned can collect samples randomly from districts and tests can be done within no time.
KI: Now that we lack the necessary infrastructure, can there be any precautions to be taken by the general public regarding food adulteration?
Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi: Since The safest way, in my view, would be to avoid those food products which have high risk of adulteration. There are strong possibilities of adulteration in cold drinks, so it is better to avoid them. Instead of that, we can have any fresh fruit juice. Usually children like sweets, chocolates and milk products. Parents should be concerned about the quality and freshness of such food items and take pains to trying to know the composition as well as quality. But once we know that there are high risks of adulteration in such food products, we must avoid sweets and other eatables with artificial colors. Also people can take the help of food adulteration testing centers, lodge complaints to the concerned authorities and if adulteration is detected, pursue such cases in the court of law.
Also make sure that food packets carry ISI, AGMARK of FPO labels before buying. Lastly, do not buy food articles if expiry date is crossed.
KI: Does adulteration take place at the manufacturing level or at the retail level?
Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi: Both, there is some amount of adulteration at the manufacturing level while it is also seen during transit and storage.
KI: What are the findings of the most recent tests on food and beverages?
Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi: There is increased demand for nutritional labelling since the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006 has come into force. Consumers were ignorant about what they were consuming when labelling was not a must. The new Act – which replaced the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA), 1954 – has helped them by mandating the basic information, which essentially promotes consumer rights and awareness. Similarly, more new substances are found to be toxic and their maximum residue limits (MRLs) are being regulated. These MRLs reduce with time and the availability of highly-sensitive instrumental techniques. There have been instances of widespread food safety issues such as the presence of melamine in dairy products and ethoxyquin in apple juice.
KI: What are the latest machines used for testing in India?
Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi: The new Chromatographic and Spectrophotometric techniques like LC-Q-ToF , LC-MS/MS, ICP-MS, GC-MS, which are confirmatory techniques with very high sensitivities, are being used in India. These are next-generation techniques, as the earlier techniques like HPLC, GC , ICP-OES were comparative techniques and were not that sensitive.
There are a few Indian manufacturers, but meeting the latest international specifications necessitates the import of high-end testing instruments and machinery.
KI: How frequent should be the food safety audit?
Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi: For high-risk products, it is recommended to carry out the safety audit twice a year while for all other products, one annual food safety audit is good enough. However, when the quality is not consistent or the requirements are critical, the frequency of food safety audit have to be increased.
KI: What are the various recommended for beverages?
Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi: For beverages, the important ingredients are water, sugar, fruit juices and preservatives. Therefore the microbiological safety for the absence of food pathogens, the fruit juice content, the level of residual pesticides, vitamins, sugars, essential minerals and various other tests are required.
KI: Can there be something to ensure safe food to people here in Kashmir?
Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi: A safer food supply is an important priority. Safe food means healthier children, longer lives, less costly healthcare, and a more resilient food industry for which government needs to play an important role. People must also take serious note of food quality and show concern about the quality of food products they consume and offer to their children.
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