Officials keep sharp eye on artificially ripened mangoes

Coimbatore: With the mango season arriving in the district, the food safety department has begun tightening their noose over sale of artificially ripened mangoes. While use of ethylene is allowed to ripen the mangoes, using calcium carbide to do the same is banned. 

The chemical is often used by wholesalers who want to offload large stocks before the arrival of the main season, so they capitalize on the initial demand.

The food safety department last week seized two tonnes of artificially ripened mangoes from a wholesaler in Pollachi. The seized mangoes included the popular Banganapalli and Alphonso varieties. 

"The mangoes were found to have been artificially ripened with calcium carbide which is banned according to the food safety laws," said a senior food safety officer based in Coimbatore West. "We only allow artificial ripening through ethylene," he said.

Calcium carbide stones are usually placed inside the mango boxes, because when the chemical comes into contact with any form of moisture, it produces acetylene gas which accelerates the ripening process.

"However, according to food safety laws, calcium carbide is considered a carcinogenic (cancer causing) substance, because it sometimes contains traces of arsenic" said the officer. 

"This is the reason we have installed three artificial ripening chambers, which just gas the fruits with ethylene," said C Durai, proprietor of Pazhamudhir Nilayam, in Nehru Stadium. "So we put the fruit inside it for three to five days," he said.

With a long dry spell this summer, the mango season has been described as 'average' by both wholesalers and mango growers. 

"Many flowers which turn to fruits drop during heavy dry winds that blew during the North-East monsoons," said K Manikandan, a mango grower in Pollachi.

"We have already begun receiving stock from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, but the fruits are small and not satisfactory in size," said Durai. "So, the season will also get over fast. 

Usually Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh stock comes well after Tamil Nadu's stock arrives," he said. The prices currently hover around 100per kg for Alphonso mangoes and 70 to 75 for Banganapalli mangoes.

The prices reportedly dropped because of heavy arrivals last week, but is expected to go up over the next month as the season gets over, said sources.

KFC set to bring edible packaging in India

New Delhi: At a time when beverage giants such as Coca-Cola are planning to opt for plastic packaging (bottles), US fried chicken chain KFC is trying to go the opposite way. Starting with its Rice Bowlz, it will introduce edible packaging in the country later this week.

Previously made of plastic, the bowls that are used to serve rice and gravy will now be made of tortilla. This is the Yum Brands-owned company’s second attempt at ready-to-eat packaging after edible coffee cups in UK.

“This is an India-first innovation and may be adopted in KFC’s global markets,” said Rahul Shinde, MD of KFC India. Rice Bowlz is one of the best-sellers on KFC’s menu he-re and contributes around 5-6% to its domestic revenues while fried chicken contributes more than 50 % .

KFC will pilot the project in Bengaluru, keeping in mind the Karnataka government’s ban on plastic that was imposed last month.

Globally, food scientists have been trying to come up with edible packaging in an effort to curb waste. It is estimated that around $12 billion worth of recyclable, post-consumer packaging is wasted annually. However, edible packaging can be expensive too.

“We will not charge more for our edible bowls,” said Shinde. “We will wait for consumer response and depending on the pace of adoption, we may roll the concept out to other items on our menu.”

Shinde said the company has invested heavily in its innovation team and the edible bowl was a result of it. Other items from India that have been adopted in KFC’s global markets are KFC Chizza and KFC Krushers.

While KFC sales declined 1% year-on-year in the quarter ended March with western-style foods witnessing a slump, the QSR chain plans to foray into tier III cities in the near future to boost consumption, according to Shinde.

What does the non consumable Kashmiri roti tell about Kashmir?

Kashmir Observer’s investigation has revealed that our staple, the Kashmiri roti , is not safe for consumption. This is as alarming and dangerous as can be. The technical reasons pertain to the alarmingly high usage of baking soda in the making of the roti. Seen from this perspective, the issue is eminently amenable to resolution; the government can tighten up regulation and also take recourse to vigorous monitoring and application of the law, through fines and punishment. But the reasons for this malaise go deeper than mere technical misapplication and abuse of ingredients that go into the making of the roti.

Team KO has learnt that the high use of baking soda in rotis , while making the roti, appealing in terms of aesthetics and appeal, can cause serious ailments. Given that roti is our staple, this means that our entire population is at risk- the nature of which can mutate and morph into ugly forms-both symptomatically and in real terms. The question is why is this widespread abuse of an egregious nature taking place? Who is responsible? And can anything be done to stem the abuse?

It is easy but facile to blame only our kaandurs (bakers) for the abuse. Yes, they are the main culprits but are merely the face and symptom of the wider malaise that has gripped our society. Consider a factual. Right from the sabzee or mewa walla(vegetable or fruit vendor), to shopkeepers, to stores to midsized to large sized businesses to government, corruption has become pervasive and systemic in Kashmir. No one emerges clean from the stench of corruption. We are all, in one way or the other implicated in corruption and mal practice. The kaandur’s are no exception. The question is why?

The reasons are both social and economic and perhaps even political. Socially, the pressure to gain wealth and through wealth status and prestige makes people take recourse to get rich schemes and behaviour. This usually means unethical, immoral and even illegal behaviour and practices even at the expense of individuals and society. The kaandurs abuse of ingredients and selling non consumable roti is a case in point. Given that the quest for prestige is legitimate and money is a necessity, society has kind of given implicit legitimacy to corrupt behaviour and practices. Now readers might wonder where does politics come into the picture?

The Kashmiri collective unconscious and emotional landscape appears to be defined by uncertainty. This uncertainty feeds into the Kashmiri imagination in way wherein people live for the moment or the next day, in the negative sense of the idea. We discount the present for the sake of the immediate future sacrificing long term future in the process. As such, we live in the present in a perverse manner. In the process, we have become self absorbed , self indulgent and selfish. The frame of reference for most Kashmiris , unfortunately, because of the political uncertainty in the state, has become their very own selves. This pans out in a negative manner and includes corrupt, unethical and illegal behaviours and practices.

These are broad and generic reasons but these account for specific malpractices like the Kandur roti case in contention.

Can anything be done about it? Can the condition- especially that of the Kashmiri roti be remedied?

Maybe.

But for remedial action has to emanate from society. One immediate solution that emerges is boycott of the roti till Kaandurs are remorseful and are compelled by economic and even social reasons to drop their bad practices. This could be complemented by stricter government regulation and a decree by fiat which enjoins the bakers to follow an ethical and legal regimen in preparing the roti. Fines, penalties and punishment could be the concomitant to stricter regulations. However, as pointed out, the issue is embedded in a larger social, economic and political framework. While nothing can be realistically done about the politics of the state, the socio economic aspect can be remedied. Society as a whole must delegitimize corruption and render it taboo- all forms of corruption and economically, society must develop a sense of proportion about money – its nature and use.

In the final analysis, it is in combination where the cumulative efforts of society, individuals and government can curb menaces and bad practices that are predatory and harmful to society as a whole like the bad practices of our Kaandurs. Our society is suffering from and on a range of fronts. These threaten and pose great danger to us- individually and collectively. Let us begin the process of catharsis and let us begin with the Kaandurs and Kashmiri Tsot.

5-foods that were once considered bad for you, but are actually healthy

Nutritional guidelines and recommendations are constantly changing in the light of new research. It can be difficult to keep up with which foods are healthy and which aren’t. Here we look at five foods that have gone through the cycle of being the villains of nutritional science but are now, based on some old and some new science, apparently okay to eat again.

Eggs

For a long time, eggs were thought to be bad for your heart. A large egg contains a hefty 185mg of cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol was believed to contribute to high blood cholesterol levels. But for the last 20 years, nutrition and medical research has shown repeatedly that at normal intakes dietary cholesterol has very little influence on a person’s blood cholesterol levels.

Although it’s taken a while, nutrition experts are now correcting the record for eggs and other foods that contain cholesterol (such as chicken liver and shellfish) by removing it as a nutrient of concern from dietary guidelines. Eggs are an excellent source of protein, healthy fats, and several vitamins and minerals.

Fat spreads

Many manufacturers have removed trans fats from margarine 

The story of fat spreads, such as margarine and butter, is probably one of the most confusing stories in nutrition. The origin of margarine, which is made from vegetable fat, dates back to the mid-1800s. Since that time, margarine has replaced butter as the fat spread of choice in most developed countries. This switch was driven by the lower price of margarine compared with butter as well as recommendations from health professionals to eat less saturated fat in order to prevent coronary heart disease (CHD).

While this switch away from saturated fats began to show reduced CHD incidence in the population, researchers also identified an independent link between trans fat (a fat produced when partially hydrogenating vegetable fats to make margarines) intake and CHD. Since this link between trans fat and CHD was confirmed by multiple studies regulatory agencies around the world have sought to eliminate trans fats from the diet.

The food industry was quick to respond and has been producing trans fat-free margarine for years now. However, there is still confusion among consumers as to whether vegetable, fat-based spreads are safe to eat. The short answer is yes, as long as the food label doesn’t list “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil” as an ingredient.

Modern vegetable oil-based fat spreads are a way to replace dietary saturated fat while increasing polyunsaturated fat – a dietary change that has been shown to reduce CHD in large cohort studies.

Potatoes

Potatoes are one of the few vegetables considered to be unhealthy. Because they’re a high glycaemic index food they tend to get lumped in with foods made from refined carbohydrates as foods to avoid. But potatoes are a rich source of carbohydrates, vitamin C, some B vitamins and trace minerals.

How you prepare potatoes also changes the aspects of those starches that get a bad rap. Cooking and cooling potatoes increases the amount of resistant starch in the potatoes. This resistant starch then acts like dietary fibre which “resists” digestion in the gut, potentially having a positive impact on your gut bacteria.

Dairy

Dairy – including milk, butter, yogurt and cheese – was once considered a staple in many people’s diet, but consumption patterns have changed, in part, due to difficult-to-interpret health messages.

Positive aspects of dairy include the high protein and calcium content. Fat content and fat type are important when choosing dairy products as some contain high amounts of fat per serving and this fat tends to be high in saturated fat.

Although it’s best to avoid a diet high in saturated fat (a risk factor for CHD), regularly consuming dairy products doesn’t need to be a concern if your overall calorie intake and fat intake is healthy. Because there are numerous studies that point toward both the healthy and unhealthy aspects of dairy it is difficult to recommend specific intakes or types of dairy foods for improving health. The recent updates to the UK Eat Well Plate still promotes dairy foods as part of a healthy diet, as long as the dairy choices are lower in fat.

Raw nuts and nut butters

Nuts also get a bad reputation for being high in fat and high in calories, leading some to suggest they should be avoided by anyone looking to lose weight. But there is mounting evidence to suggest that raw nuts are key to a healthy diet and maintaining healthy body weight. A recent study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, showed that eating raw nuts reduces death from all causes, cardiovascular diseases, coronary heart disease and sudden cardiac death.

Although studies are still ongoing to determine what components of tree nuts are promoting these positive health outcomes, we already know the nutritional benefits. Raw nuts contain protein, healthy fats (low saturated fat and high monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat), dietary fibre and micronutrients.

Nut butters, such as peanut butter, can also be part of a healthy diet. The fat in peanut butter has a healthy profile and peanut butter is also an excellent source of protein, fibre, vitamin B6 and magnesium. Some recent evidence has shown increased weight loss for people that replace less healthy proteins, such as processed meats, with peanut butter.

Nut and nut butter consumption can be a part of a healthy diet, but you need to be mindful of the calories.

Remember, when it comes to food and health: all foods fit into a healthy diet. Don’t fall into the trap of believing in “superfoods” or “food villains”. Enthusiastic consumption of one particular “superfood” can be worse than consuming a so called “food villain”.Scott Harding, Visiting Senior Lecturer in Nutritional Sciences, King's College London This article was originally published on The Conversation.

All our food is ‘genetically-modified’ in some-way–where do you draw the line?

Everything from domesticated carrots to glow-in-the-dark tobacco fits somewhere on the spectrum. 'Banning GM' isn't a simple yes-no decision.

In the past week, you’ve probably eaten crops that wouldn’t exist in nature, or that have evolved extra genes to reach freakish sizes. You’ve probably eaten “cloned” food and you may have even eaten plants whose ancestors were once deliberately blasted with radiation. And you could have bought all this without leaving the “organic” section of your local supermarket.

Anti-GM dogma is obscuring the real debate over what level of genetic manipulation society deems acceptable. Genetically-modified food is often regarded as something you’re either for or against, with no real middle ground.

Yet it is misleading to consider GM technology a binary decision, and blanket bans like those in many European countries are only likely to further stifle debate. After all, very little of our food is truly “natural” and even the most basic crops are the result of some form of human manipulation.

Between organic foods and tobacco engineered to glow in the dark lie a broad spectrum of “modifications” worthy of consideration. All of these different technologies are sometimes lumped together under “GM”. But where would you draw the line?

1. (Un)natural selection

Think of carrots, corn or watermelons – all foods you might eat without much consideration. Yet when compared to their wild ancestors, even the “organic” varieties are almost unrecognisable.

Domestication generally involves selecting for beneficial traits, such as high yield. Over time, many generations of selection can substantially alter a plant’s genetic makeup. Man-made selection is capable of generating forms that are extremely unlikely to occur in nature.

Modern watermelons (right) look very different to their 17th-century ancestors (left). Photo: Christies/Prathyush Thomas, CC BY

2. Genome duplications

Unknowing selection by our ancestors also involved a genetic process we only discovered relatively recently. Whereas humans have half a set of chromosomes (structures that package and organise your genetic information) from each parent, some organisms can have two or more complete duplicate sets of chromosomes. This “polyploidy” is widespread in plants and often results in exaggerated traits such as fruit size, thought to be the result of multiple gene copies.

Without realising, many crops have been unintentionally bred to a higher level of ploidy (entirely naturally) as things like large fruit or vigorous growth are often desirable. Ginger and apples are triploid for example, while potatoes and cabbage are tetraploid. Some strawberry varieties are even octoploid, meaning they have eight sets of chromosomes compared to just two in humans.

3. Plant cloning

It’s a word that tends to conjure up some discomfort – no one really wants to eat “cloned” food. Yet asexual reproduction is the core strategy for many plants in nature, and farmers have utilised it for centuries to perfect their crops.

Once a plant with desirable characteristics is found – a particularly tasty and durable banana, for instance – cloning allows us to grow identical replicates. This could be entirely natural with a cutting or runner, or artificially-induced with plant hormones. Domestic bananas have long since lost the seeds that allowed their wild ancestors to reproduce – if you eat a banana today, you’re eating a clone.

 

Each banana plant is a genetic clone of a previous generation. Photo: Ian Ransley, CC BY 

4. Induced mutations

Selection – both human and natural – operates on genetic variation within a species. If a trait or characteristic never occurs, then it cannot be selected for. In order to generate greater variation for conventional breeding, scientists in the 1920s began to expose seeds to chemicals or radiation.

Unlike more modern GM technologies, this “mutational breeding” is largely untargeted and generates mutations at random. Most will be useless, but some will be desirable. More than 1,800 cultivars of crop and ornamental plants including varieties of wheat, rice, cotton and peanuts have been developed and released in more than 50 countries. Mutational breeding is credited for spurring the “green revolution” in the 20th century.

Many common foods such as red grapefruits and varieties of pasta wheat are a result of this approach and, surprisingly, these can still be sold as certified “organic”.

5. GM screening

GM technology doesn’t have to involve any direct manipulation of plants or species. It can be instead used to screen for traits such as disease susceptibility or to identify which “natural” cross is likely to produce the greatest yield or best outcome.

Genetic technology has allowed researchers to identify in advance which ash trees are likely to be susceptible to ash dieback disease, for instance. Future forests could be grown from these resistant trees. We might call this “genomics-informed” human selection.

6. Cisgenic and transgenic

This is what most people mean when they refer to genetically modified organisms – genes being artificially inserted into a different plant to improve yield, tolerance to heat or drought, to produce better drugs or even to add a vitamin. Under conventional breeding, such changes might take decades. Added genes provide a shortcut.

Cisgenic simply means the gene inserted (or moved, or duplicated) comes from the same or a very closely related species. Inserting genes from unrelated species (transgenic) is substantially more challenging – this is the only technique in our spectrum of GM technology that can produce an organism that could not occur naturally. Yet the case for it might still be compelling.

Since the 1990s several crops have been engineered with a gene from the soil bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis. This bacteria gives “Bt corn” and other engineered crops resistance to certain pests, and acts as an appealing alternative to pesticide use.

This technology remains the most controversial as there are concerns that resistance genes could “escape” and jump to other species, or be unfit for human consumption. While unlikely – many fail safe approaches are designed to prevent this – it is of course possible.

Where do you stand?

All of these methods continue to be used. Even transgenic crops are now widely cultivated around the world, and have been for more than a decade. They are closely scrutinised and rightly so, but the promise of this technology means that it surely deserves improved scientific literacy among the public if it is to reach it’s full potential.

And let’s be clear, with global population set to hit nine billion by 2050 and the increasingly greater strain on the environment, GMOs have the potential to improve health, increase yields and reduce our impact. However uncomfortable they might make us, they deserve a sensible and informed debate.James Borrell, PhD student in Conservation Genetics, Queen Mary University of London. This article first appeared on The Conversation.

DINAMALAR NEWS

DINAKARAN NEWS

DINAMANI NEWS

FSSAI to upgrade food labs at Rs 480 cr as per surveillance-based system

New Delhi

In an exercise to revamp the food testing laboratory and sampling infrastructure in the country in tune with the new surveillance-based food safety mechanism, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has earmarked Rs 480 crore for upgrading government-owned food testing labs. With this, the apex food regulator is aiming at having at least one state-of-the-art laboratory in every state. Large states may even have two labs. In the emerging scenario, the Ghaziabad lab may run under PPP model. 

In this regard, speaking to FnB News, Pawan Kumar Agarwal, CEO, FSSAI, stated that the apex food regulator has been working towards ensuring standard food labs across the country, which was required immediately and for the purpose, partnership with private labs was also being considered. Agarwal added that the apex food regulator would advise the state governments on the operations and maintenance of the labs. 

He explained, “We would help establishing one lab in each state and two in big states which will be duly accredited. We will provide funds for the machines and equipments, microbiological test and other operations of the labs.”

Meanwhile, as part of the earlier infrastructure, there are two Central labs in Kolkata and Ghaziabad owned by FSSAI, while state governments own some 82 labs. That apart, there are 98 private labs, which are accredited by NABL, but the state government labs are largely unrecognised. Further, there are about 12 referral labs.

Interestingly, while the private lab infrastructure is at par with Central and state government labs, there has been confusion amongst state-level FDA officials about legality of the tests to be carried out in private labs. Clearing the air, Agarwal observed, “The key staff will be provided by the government in private labs who will carry out the food analysis. At least eight government functionaries will be appointed in each lab for the purpose of testing and analysing.”

Apart from private labs, emphasis is being laid on referral labs. Recently the regulator had issued a list of referral labs for the purpose of food analysis and the zones for the said purpose. It also revised the analysis and testing charges that start at Rs 700. 

While the lab infrastructure is being revamped, FSSAI is also working on reduction of sampling done by the enforcement machinery as the surveillance-based mechanism calls for sampling based on concrete information of some wrongdoing. This move is expected to bring a shift in the current trend of 100% sampling wherein only 2 out of 10 samples fail a test but labs remain occupied in unnecessary analysis.

Meanwhile, taking a cue from the apex food regulator’s initiative of surveillance-based mechanism, Madhya Pradesh State Food and Drug Department has issued a directive for a pre-nod from the local district health officer for collection of food samples.

Joint comptroller MPSFDA Pramod Shukla stated, “It has been decided that a total of 48 samples will be taken in a year as legal samples. In a month total 12 samples will be taken wherein four will go for analysis while remaining eight will be part of the surveillance process. This would save our energy and we will be in a position to use our resources including labs in a better way.” He added that the state government had chalked out a Rs 3.92 crore plan for upgrading state-owned food labs.

Agarwal found this to be a welcome step as long as it was in accordance with the spirit of the instruction of the FSSAI. 

The fall guys

Proposal to criminalise ‘misleading’ endorsement unfairly shifts the onus from regulator to celebrity.

Is it fair to expect Madhuri Dixit, who has appeared in Maggi noodles advertisements, to pierce through the thicket of claims and counter-claims on technical aspects of food chemistry when even the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, with an army of technicians and labs at its disposal, stumbles on this issue? Well, that’s what a parliamentary panel on the Consumer Protection Bill, 2015, would expect her to do. It has recommended that “endorsers/ celebrities” be criminally penalised for “misleading” advertisements with a Rs 10 lakh fine and/ or imprisonment of up to two years for a first offence. If things go according to the panel’s plan, the scales would be unfairly and disproportionately loaded against endorsers and the onus shifted for ascertaining product safety away from regulators.

In China, attempts to prosecute Jackie Chan for his endorsement of a “chemical-free” shampoo with allegedly cancer-causing ingredients have failed. Internationally, in the US, for example, celebrity endorsers are subject to civil liability for making false claims. But, one, such liability is typically indemnified by the brand owner and, two, a test of “reasonable contemplation” by the endorser — for instance, has the product been signed off on by the safety regulator? — is applicable. In the case of criminal liability, however, these two alleviating conditions will likely not hold. In India, where the IPC already criminalises attempts to intentionally sell “noxious” food, and the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, has provisions for fines for false advertising, additional criminal penalties are overzealous and unnecessary.

The parliamentary panel’s recommendation is troubling, especially when applied to the realm of food safety and consumer products, where the shifting sands of science frequently throw up new heroes and villains. So is it kosher to say that eggs and butter make for a healthy breakfast? Or that Marmite is good for you thanks to its vitamin load? The UK says it is, although Denmark had banned it. You better be sure before you ad lib.

BROMATE THREAT TO DRINKING WATER

Reports of chemical contamination in packaged drinking water are cause for concern. To tackle the problem, the Government must implement an integrated plan that will improve production standards of bottled water

The deteriorating state of environment is evident by the rising levels of contamination and pollution, so much so that even packaged drinking water may not be safe for consumption. Recently, the discovery of chemical contamination in packaged drinking water has become a serious cause of concern.

A study conducted by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre found the presence of carcinogen (causing cancer) bromate — a by-product of disinfectant — in 27 per cent of samples of packaged drinking water in Mumbai.

The discovery of this chemical compound has prompted the Bureau of Indian Standards to intervene and enforce a mandatory test for bromate in packaged water across the country.

The BARC study was conducted in the wake of an advisory issued by the World Health Organisation on the cancer causing attributes of bromate.

The BIS has now fixed the maximum permissible limit of bromate at 0.01microgram per litre. Prior to this in the interest of public health, the BIS had also made it mandatory to test packaged drinking water for other carcinogens like Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyl and pesticides.

However, post-production diligence and quality control may not be sufficient to control the problem of chemical contamination in packaged drinking water and it is equally important to tackle the issue of illegal water bottling units that are operating across the country.

According to estimates, more than 10,000 illegal bottled water units are operating in the national capital region alone often using the labels of 64 licensed manufacturers thereby putting the health of millions of people at risk.

These units do not have the mandatory clearances from BIS and hardly meet standards of water purification, and yet are able to thrive due to the indifferent attitude of the authorities. The larger efforts of the Government to control environmental degradation and contamination can be seriously jeopardised if illegal units are allowed to operate with impunity and adopt practices that result not only in the chemical contamination of the end product but also unsafe disposal of plastic.

The ground water used by packaged water companies in India is usually high on heavy metals and pesticide residue. Due to this, the companies resort to disinfecting processes that end up leaving behind chemical by-products. For instance, if ozone is used for disinfection in water that already contains bromine, it can lead to the formation of bromates.

Similarly, certain hypochloride salts can lead to the formation of chlorites and chlorates that are known to affect red blood cells. The pesticide contamination in bottled water too is a growing cause of concern. A study conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment showed the presence of pesticide residue in packaged water.

People tend to trust bottled drinking water unconditionally and the Government must ensure that this trust is not broken. Health hazards arising out of consumption of bottled water for which the consumer has paid cannot be acceptable.

As the country experiences drought situations in many regions and cities suffer from low quality municipal water supply, the issue of contamination of bottled water cannot be taken lightly. To tackle this situation, the Government must form a three-pronged integrated plan that not only ensures higher production standards of bottled water but also clamps down on illegal bottling units besides bringing down the toxicity levels in ground water.

The authorities must realise that chemical contamination in drinking water is an irreversible process; hence prevention of contamination is critical. As a part of the strategy to ensure clean and pure drinking water, the Government must also strengthen its research and development capabilities in the field of water treatment and purification.

This will not only enable the municipal corporations to stay a step ahead of pollution but will also compel the water bottling companies to invest in research and development to discover newer and safer methods of disinfection that do not compromise on public health or environment.

As an immediate step to control bromate contamination, the Government must ensure that all the bottling companies immediately put a stop to ozone treatment of water and adopt advanced treatment process such as ion exchange and membrane filtration.

Additionally, the Government in association with the Food Safety Standards Authority of India can make it mandatory for the bottled water manufacturers to provide information on product labels regarding the treatment process followed. This will spread awareness in general public about the threat posed by chemical contaminants in bottled water and help in maintaining much needed quality.