Sep 29, 2012
It is time we reclaim our right to safe food and usher in a revolution
We are what we eat. This adage had been long established by our traditional system of medicine, Ayurveda.
Since modern science has also verified it through a series of experiments, we are much more willing to accept that whatever we consume from our environment, decides our physical well being, social behaviour and thinking.
However, despite being granted this wisdom, we have added poison to the food we eat in last 60 years.
Starting from chemical fertilisers in the soil, spraying of pesticides and insecticides on plants, unnatural processing methods and now the efforts to introduce genetic modifications, we are not moving but running towards destruction.
From World War to Green Revolution
We all are familiar with homeopathic and allopathic medicines. Even a small quantity of medicine (milligrams in allopathy and nanograms in the case of homeopathy) taken on a routine basis for 2-3 days, can treat a disease.
Just imagine how adverse the impact would be of heavy dosage of chemicals in the food we eat. Doctors will tell you that even a minor change in concentration of chemicals can turn a normal person insane.
However, the impact of agro chemicals on our mind, hormonal system, enzyme release et al has not been researched. Whatever work is done in this regard is systematically aborted under influence of vested interests.
Now, let's talk about how these chemicals ended up on our plate. The genesis of agro chemicals can be traced back to World War II, the biggest damage-causing exercise of modern world.
Besides the loss of human lives and destruction that occurred at that time, the far damaging impact of that war is visible today. At the end of the war, the industrial nations were staring at the huge stockpile of chemicals used to produce weapons.
To save the industries from getting bankrupt, it was proposed that the left-over chemicals should be used in controlled quantity to increase agriculture productivity.
It was claimed that that the usage will only kill the insects and there would not be any adverse impact on human body. So, what we term as green revolution was the result of this business model meant to promote corporate interest.
The laws we make
Food is very important to live which is why 'Right To Safe Food' is naturally linked to 'Right To Life'. And it's an inherent right of every living being, not just humans.
Article 21 of Indian Constitution grants us the 'Right to Life' which is an all encompassing law essential for survival of any nation.
The Article 47 of directive principles defines the duty of the State to raise the level of nutrition and the standard of living and to improve public health whereas Article 48A calls for protection and improvement of environment and safeguarding of forests and wild life. Unfortunately, these laws are being tweaked on the pretext of economic liberalisation.
The international organisations working in the field of agriculture are making policies clearly favourable to the corporates of developed countries like US. This is why, the treaties being forced down on Indian government result in domestic laws which have little public interest element in them.
The Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, which is the main law addressing contamination, only deals with those components added after food production which is why there is no law to regulate usage of pesticides and other chemicals in the farms.
Though the definition of “unsafe food” does include food items in which level of pesticide and other contaminants is in excess of quantities specified by regulations, there are no proper testing laboratories to check the amount of pesticide/insecticide usage. Also, none of the food items we consume are subjected to any such checks.
Besides the 'Right to Safe Food', we should have the 'Right to Choose our Food' so that if the government is not serious about giving us safe food, we are able to make our own decisions by looking at labels.
The labels should indicate whether the food item is organic, laced with chemicals or genetically modified. The list of chemicals (if any) used and their quantities should also be mentioned on the label so that people can make informed decision.
Ironically, India had this system of labelling till some time back before the US complained to the World Trade Organization calling it an unfair practice and our government accepted the contention, putting the lives of all its citizens at risk.
Labelling of food items is linked to our right to safe food which is why we need to reclaim it. If the medicines have counter indications mentioned on them, why should not the food grown with use of agro chemicals be subjected to this condition?
We should also remember that as a consumer, our demand affects the supply side. If we seek safe food, it will make the farmers grow organic and we can return to the good old days of completely nutritional food.
Since modern science has also verified it through a series of experiments, we are much more willing to accept that whatever we consume from our environment, decides our physical well being, social behaviour and thinking.
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Chemical fertilizers are a byproduct of World War II (Photo Courtesy: GOI Monitor)
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Starting from chemical fertilisers in the soil, spraying of pesticides and insecticides on plants, unnatural processing methods and now the efforts to introduce genetic modifications, we are not moving but running towards destruction.
From World War to Green Revolution
We all are familiar with homeopathic and allopathic medicines. Even a small quantity of medicine (milligrams in allopathy and nanograms in the case of homeopathy) taken on a routine basis for 2-3 days, can treat a disease.
Just imagine how adverse the impact would be of heavy dosage of chemicals in the food we eat. Doctors will tell you that even a minor change in concentration of chemicals can turn a normal person insane.
However, the impact of agro chemicals on our mind, hormonal system, enzyme release et al has not been researched. Whatever work is done in this regard is systematically aborted under influence of vested interests.
Now, let's talk about how these chemicals ended up on our plate. The genesis of agro chemicals can be traced back to World War II, the biggest damage-causing exercise of modern world.
Besides the loss of human lives and destruction that occurred at that time, the far damaging impact of that war is visible today. At the end of the war, the industrial nations were staring at the huge stockpile of chemicals used to produce weapons.
To save the industries from getting bankrupt, it was proposed that the left-over chemicals should be used in controlled quantity to increase agriculture productivity.
It was claimed that that the usage will only kill the insects and there would not be any adverse impact on human body. So, what we term as green revolution was the result of this business model meant to promote corporate interest.
The laws we make
Food is very important to live which is why 'Right To Safe Food' is naturally linked to 'Right To Life'. And it's an inherent right of every living being, not just humans.
Article 21 of Indian Constitution grants us the 'Right to Life' which is an all encompassing law essential for survival of any nation.
The Article 47 of directive principles defines the duty of the State to raise the level of nutrition and the standard of living and to improve public health whereas Article 48A calls for protection and improvement of environment and safeguarding of forests and wild life. Unfortunately, these laws are being tweaked on the pretext of economic liberalisation.
The international organisations working in the field of agriculture are making policies clearly favourable to the corporates of developed countries like US. This is why, the treaties being forced down on Indian government result in domestic laws which have little public interest element in them.
The Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, which is the main law addressing contamination, only deals with those components added after food production which is why there is no law to regulate usage of pesticides and other chemicals in the farms.
Though the definition of “unsafe food” does include food items in which level of pesticide and other contaminants is in excess of quantities specified by regulations, there are no proper testing laboratories to check the amount of pesticide/insecticide usage. Also, none of the food items we consume are subjected to any such checks.
Besides the 'Right to Safe Food', we should have the 'Right to Choose our Food' so that if the government is not serious about giving us safe food, we are able to make our own decisions by looking at labels.
The labels should indicate whether the food item is organic, laced with chemicals or genetically modified. The list of chemicals (if any) used and their quantities should also be mentioned on the label so that people can make informed decision.
Ironically, India had this system of labelling till some time back before the US complained to the World Trade Organization calling it an unfair practice and our government accepted the contention, putting the lives of all its citizens at risk.
Labelling of food items is linked to our right to safe food which is why we need to reclaim it. If the medicines have counter indications mentioned on them, why should not the food grown with use of agro chemicals be subjected to this condition?
We should also remember that as a consumer, our demand affects the supply side. If we seek safe food, it will make the farmers grow organic and we can return to the good old days of completely nutritional food.
Now, vendors to get hygiene lessons
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
is planning to meet food vendors on the city streets and five other
district in the state to instruct them on hygiene and check that they
comply with these requirements.
A pilot project will be launched next month in select food places in the city as well as Pune, Nagpur, Kolhapur and Nashik, FDA commissioner Mahesh Zagade said.
The department has been considering registering food business operators (FBOs), particularly the roadside food stalls, across the state under the Food Standards and Safety Act (FSSA) for some time now.
"These vendors will be tracked over a period of time to ensure that they have been registered under the FSSA and are complying with the hygiene standards," Zagade said.
Under revised rules in force since August last year, FBOs are required to register with the FDA to convert their licences under the 1954 Prevention of Food Adulteration Act to the 2006 FSSA.
Zagade said that workshops will be conducted for vendors and hawkers will be instructed in the use of plastic gloves and caps when preparing food, checking the quality of materials like vegetables, and proper washing of utensils.
"The state has an estimated 15 lakh FBOs, which include hawkers, vendors, shopkeepers, wholesale suppliers, grocers and restaurateurs. So far, 2.6 lakh licences have been issued and we are reaching out to roadside stall owners in the pilot project to ensure due compliance under the FSSA," Zagade said.
A pilot project will be launched next month in select food places in the city as well as Pune, Nagpur, Kolhapur and Nashik, FDA commissioner Mahesh Zagade said.
The department has been considering registering food business operators (FBOs), particularly the roadside food stalls, across the state under the Food Standards and Safety Act (FSSA) for some time now.
"These vendors will be tracked over a period of time to ensure that they have been registered under the FSSA and are complying with the hygiene standards," Zagade said.
Under revised rules in force since August last year, FBOs are required to register with the FDA to convert their licences under the 1954 Prevention of Food Adulteration Act to the 2006 FSSA.
Zagade said that workshops will be conducted for vendors and hawkers will be instructed in the use of plastic gloves and caps when preparing food, checking the quality of materials like vegetables, and proper washing of utensils.
"The state has an estimated 15 lakh FBOs, which include hawkers, vendors, shopkeepers, wholesale suppliers, grocers and restaurateurs. So far, 2.6 lakh licences have been issued and we are reaching out to roadside stall owners in the pilot project to ensure due compliance under the FSSA," Zagade said.
State safety seal on edibles in sight
Ranchi, Sept. 28: After several hiccups, the Rs 2-crore state food and drugs
laboratory is expected to start operations next week on the Namkum
health directorate campus, paving the way for authentic tests of food
and medicine that Jharkhand consumes.
A selection panel set up by the health department has finally recruited 14 technical personnel, seven for each of the twin facilities, including a food analyst and drug specialist.
Though the recruitment process
began in January and advertisements were floated in March, the final
list became ready only yesterday.
Of the duo, the food lab had started in 2008 with World Bank aid during former chief minister Madhu Koda's
tenure, but shut shop within a year, succumbing to staff crunch and
power bills to the tune of Rs 29 lakh. Its counterpart for drugs will
make its debut.
The state government passed its
Food Safety Act in January, leading to an urgency to open laboratories
for regular food and drugs testing and audits. The need became
imperative with Food Safety and Standards Authority of India sounding an
alarm over adulterated milk sold in the state.
"Our teams are in place," state
food controller T.P. Burnwal told The Telegraph. "The food lab has seven
personnel, including analyst J.K. Singh, who headed the facility after
inception and then went to Bihar when it shut down. We have brought him
back now," said Burnwal.
Heading the drug control team will be Satendra Singh. Six persons, including lab assistants and technicians, will report to him.
National Rural Health Mission (Jharkhand) will fund the salaries of the 14 experts.On why the hiring process trundled slowly, Burnwal said they were raring to start, but the health department took a "little extra time" as it wanted to launch both the food and drug testing facilities together.
Director-in-chief (drug) S.K. Mukhopadhyay, Burnwal's counterpart, couldn't be contacted for comments, but an official, who did not want to come on record, said it was only proper that facilities on the same campus started together.
A panel member said there were a
number of formalities to reckon with. "Even now, a compulsory formal
notification on the recruitment of lab chiefs J.K. Singh and Satendra
Singh, is awaited from the health department," he said.
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