Rampant food adulteration

Many states still without facilities to check it

Even though the country has the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, in place, it is shocking that of the 72,200 food samples tested across the country in 2012-13, barely 13,571 cleared the laboratory test. This amounts to an alarming 87.3 per cent food consumed by Indians to be contaminated in various degrees. An unregulated use of pesticides and insecticides has been reported for years, as also antibiotics in poultry and milk adulteration with high levels of oxytocin, commonly known as love hormone. Medical studies have found that the presence of high levels of oxytocin in milk products can cause an early onset of puberty in girls and other complications. The adulteration of edible mustard oil with argemone mexicana seed oil has caused the dropsy epidemic in thousands of people near Delhi. 

Yet, no concrete action has been taken to prevent these health hazards. Every year around Diwali, in a knee-jerk reaction, food inspectors arrest a few sweets shop and dairy owners, fines are slapped and adulterers go back to the usual business. A profit-driven food industry and the corruption-ridden law-enforcing agencies have ensured that Indians remain shrouded in blissful ignorance about the levels of contamination of the food they consume. Now that Union Health Minister J P Nadda has shown concern by announcing amendments to the existing law to prevent food and milk adulteration, should this call for a cheer? 

The minister has set up a task force to review the Act with a provision for more stringent punishment for food adulterers. On ensuring the quality of food, the Centre says implementation of the law is in the hands of states. Several states are still without the required facilities and infrastructure. Does that mean people in such states do not deserve uncontaminated food? In states where some sort of infrastructure exists, several districts do not have a single food inspector! Before amending the law, the government would do better by putting the basic infrastructure in place to ensure basic food safety for the billion-plus people.