During the mango season, it is not uncommon for mango retailers and wholesalers to resort to the artificial ripening of the fruit, and one of the methods to do so is the usage of carbide. Keeping this in mind, the Nashik division of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Maharashtra has called all mango traders for a meeting on March 7, 2013 to create awareness about the adverse impact carbide could have on the consumers' health, and warn them that strict action will be taken against them if they do not stop using carbide to ripen the fruit.
Mahesh Zagade, commissioner, FDA Maharashtra, has issued a circular to all food safety officers (FSOs), instructing them to roll up their sleeves and make sure no amount of artificially-ripened mangoes makes their way to markets across the state this year. Chandrakant Pawar, joint commissioner of the state food regulator's Nashik division, about the crackdown on the artificial ripening of the fruit and said the first step is to hold meetings with mango retailers and wholesalers.
“The objective of our meetings with the mango traders is to explain the ill-effects of using calcium carble to ripen the fruit. If they continue this unhealthy practice after the meetings, the FDA will take strict action against them,” Pawar added, recommending the use of safer ripening methods, such as using ethylene gas and keeping the fruit be kept in a box containing hay. Incidentally, the state FDA had raided the premises of several mango traders who used calcium carbide to ripen the fruit last year, seizing and destroying over 100kg of the mangoes.
Mahesh Zagade, commissioner, FDA Maharashtra, has issued a circular to all food safety officers (FSOs), instructing them to roll up their sleeves and make sure no amount of artificially-ripened mangoes makes their way to markets across the state this year. Chandrakant Pawar, joint commissioner of the state food regulator's Nashik division, about the crackdown on the artificial ripening of the fruit and said the first step is to hold meetings with mango retailers and wholesalers.
“The objective of our meetings with the mango traders is to explain the ill-effects of using calcium carble to ripen the fruit. If they continue this unhealthy practice after the meetings, the FDA will take strict action against them,” Pawar added, recommending the use of safer ripening methods, such as using ethylene gas and keeping the fruit be kept in a box containing hay. Incidentally, the state FDA had raided the premises of several mango traders who used calcium carbide to ripen the fruit last year, seizing and destroying over 100kg of the mangoes.
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