Panaji: Fruit ripening chambers can help consumers acquire healthy produce and save traders who resort to harmful practices from the authorities punitive action.
"Ripening fruits by using chemicals is illegal and harmful to those who consume them," Jyothi Sardessai, director, food and drugs administration (FDA) said at the third biennial Dr Anand G Naik Kurade seminar on "Fruits and vegetables: Food or poison," in the city. She added that some are ripening fruits near Goa's border to evade action initiated by FDA against such methods.
The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, empowers FDA inspectors to impose and recover fines on the spot and also seize and confiscate fruits and food items, a paradigm shift from filing cases in courts against food adulteration. These measures have helped in curbing artificial ripening of fruits, such as bananas, chikus, mangoes and apples, she said.
The FDA director also explained why artificial ripening fruits using calcium carbide or by spraying with, or dipping in, ehtrel or ethephon is bad. The food safety and standards authority of India (FSSAI) has a mobile app for public complaints about substandard food.
Roland Martins, coordinator of Goa Consumer Action Network (GOACAN) pointed out the menace of fruit and ornamental plants being sold by unregistered vendors on pushcarts.
Agriculture minister Vijai Sardesai said he would enforce the Goa Fruit and Ornamental Plants Nursery (regulation) Act 1995. Madhav Kelkar, managing director, Goa State Horticultural Corporation Ltd, said that the corporation obtains the best possible vegetables for consumers, but their quality is affected by rain. The seminar was anchored by Miguel Braganza, chairman, Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (agriculture).
