Bananas sweeter in city, not safe

At a time, when people rely heavily on fruits and salads to beat the summer heat, the artificial ripening of fruits witnessed at the Koyambedu wholesale market points to serious lapses in enforcement of food safety norms in the state

A vendor at Koyambedu market sprays ethylene to ripen bananas artificially 

Chennai: 

As the mango season is just around the corner, instances of malpractices involving artificial ripening of fruits are expected to rise. Already doctors in the city have begun issuing warnings that commonly consumed fruits like banana, guava, apple and chikku are being artificially ripened, and that customers should exercise caution before buying. 

A source revealed that even neighbourhood petty shops and small vendors urge wholesalers to speedily ripen the fruits by all means necessary – including the spraying of harmful chemical solutions. This reporter tried purchasing a dozen, partially ripe bananas in Koyambedu market, which is run by CMDA. 

The trader used a canister to spray the bananas, saying, “The fruits would be ready for consumption by next morning.” Many shopkeepers in the fruit-vendors’ area in the complex were spotted with the bottles of this spray inside their shops. The failure of officials to conduct frequent raids and apprehend such violators seems to have given such vendors a free run, a source said. 

Kumar Jayant, Commissioner of Food Safety, Tamil Nadu (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) told DTNext that raids were taking place at regular intervals. “We will keep up our vigil and confiscate and destroy such fruits, after which action will be taken against the traders,” he stressed. 

HAZARD ZONE

• Ethylene gas is the most commonly used ripening agent
• Doctors say artificially ripened fruits contain lower value and can cause allergies
• Violators can be penalised with 7-year imprisonment or pay fine

Traders should realise that consuming adulterated fruits will cause long term damage to people’s health. They need to refrain from such practices aimed at earning easy money.

Dr R Kathiravan, Designated Officer, FSSAI, Chennai