Carbide-ripened mango sellers will have a taste of penal action

Health Secretary says penalty of Rs. 5 lakh will be imposed

GALORE ARE PLAINTS TOO:Consumers are advised to consume mangoes only after thorough washing in potable water. A pile-up of fruits kept for sale at a market in Puducherry on Saturday

Just as mangoes are overwhelming the street-sides, so are complaints of people taking ill after consuming fruits laced with artificial ripeners.

In spite of repeated warnings, raids and seizures, chemically ripened fruits are flooding the market, reports say.

So much so that Health Secretary and Food Safety Commissioner G. Ragesh Chandra, is forced to issue a warning to impose a stiff penalty of up to Rs. 5 lakh against those who store or sell calcium carbide ripened mangoes.

“All food business enterprises dealing with mangoes are strictly warned not to store or sell calcium carbide- ripened mangoes,” Mr. Chandra said in a notification.

The Food Safety Commissioner’s statement said: “It has been observed in the recent past that most of the mangoes sold in the markets across the Puducherry region are artificially ripened using calcium carbide stones. Many complaints, both oral and written, were received by this department over the sale of artificially ripened mangoes. The food safety officers also raided mango godowns and wholesale dealers in the month of May and seized about three tons of carbide ripened mangoes in Puducherry and about 1.5 tonnes of mangoes in Karaikal in June and destroyed them. Sustained efforts are being taken to prevent the sale of artificially ripened mangoes.”

According to health officials, the harmful effects of consuming carbide ripened mangoes will include stomach upset, vomiting, diarrhoea, burning sensation of chest and abdomen, weakness, difficulty in swallowing and sometimes permanent eye damage. In some people, intake of these spurious mangoes could produce ulcers on the skin, sore throat, cough and shortness of breath.

Generally, carbide treated mangoes are inferior in taste and flavour. They also have a shorter shelf-life. The fruit ripened with calcium carbide may develop uniform attractive surface colour, but the tissue inside would not be ripe or may remain green or raw. Hence the fruits become tasteless as well as toxic.

On the other hand, naturally ripened fruit will have good aroma, attractive texture but not uniformly coloured.

Consumers have been advised by health officials to wash the mangoes thoroughly at least twice in water after soaking for about 30 minutes. It is also suggested that they slice off the fruit skin before consuming the fleshy portions. One can access the websitewww.fssai.gov.into know more about the ill effects of artificially ripened mangoes using calcium carbide, said the notification.

Sale of carbide ripened mango fruits is strictly prohibited as per Food Safety Standards Regulations, 2011, Section 2.3.5 of Food Safety Standards Regulations (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) 2011.

“A penalty of not exceeding Rs. 5 lakh shall be imposed for selling such carbide ripened fruits. Imprisonment of six months is liable to be imposed under provisions of Food Safety Standards Act 2006,” said Mr. Chandra.

He added the traders are encouraged to use permitted ripening agents such as ‘Ethion’ chemical. But even in ‘Ethion’ treated mangoes consumers are advised to consume only after thorough washing in potable water.