GM mustard gets backing from regulator

The environment ministry has to take a final call after Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee gave a positive recommendation to the commercial use of GM mustard

The GEAC has also put a number of conditions to the ministry while recommending the commercial use of GM mustard. 

In a watershed moment India’s regulator for transgenic products, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), has approved commercial production of genetically modified (GM) mustard.

Effectively, India is a step away from allowing GM food crops. The recommendation will now have to approved by Union environment minister Anil Madhav Dave.

GM mustard has been developed by Delhi University-based Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants (CGMCP).

The lobby backing GM crops believe these crops are superior as they are resistant to pests and diseases—implying lower usage of pesticides. Consequently, they can generate better yields and be more environmentally friendly.

So far, only GM cotton, a non-food crop, has been permitted. If indeed the government does give its go-ahead, it would be for the first time that India will be officially adopting a genetically modified food crop. In 2010, the GEAC had approved the commercialization of Bt brinjal; however in the face of strong protests from civil society the then environment minister Jairam Ramesh declined to sign off on the proposal.

But the road ahead is unlikely to be smooth. Not only is there a case pending before the Supreme Court, GM crops have been opposed by civil society and saffron groups such as Swadeshi Jagran Manch, an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which is the ideological parent of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Deepak Pental, the lead scientist who developed the technology and former vice-chancellor of Delhi University, declined to comment as he had not received an official communication.

“The application was submitted (to GEAC) in 2015 and we have deliberated on it about eight times. A subcommittee was formed by GEAC in February 2016 which was asked to look into all documents submitted by the applicant. The safety documents were put online and over 700 comments were received. Of those, about 440 were scientific. We gave all our comments to the subcommittee to go through it so that whatever concerns are there are addressed,” said Amita Prasad, GEAC’s chairperson and additional secretary in the environment ministry.

“They (the subcommittee) went through safety documents once again and submitted their report today. GEAC considered their report and appraised the application. We have approved it with certain conditions,” Prasad said.

Last month, in its three-year draft action plan, the government think tank NITI Aayog too had backed GM food crops.

“GEAC has proven yet again that it is unscientific and uncaring with regard to citizens’ health and environment. They have failed in their very mandate and purpose for which they have been created, to protect citizens from risks of GMOs (genetically modified organisms),” said Kavitha Kuruganti, convener of the Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture, a nationwide informal network of more than 400 organizations drawn from 20 states.

Kuruganti and other organizations are at the forefront of protests against GM mustard.

“We hope and urge minister Anil Madhav Dave to be responsible in his decision-making—this GM mustard should be rejected just a Bt brinjal was, seven years ago. At least he should fulfil the mandate of his Ministry, even if the regulators did not. He should uphold BJP’s election manifesto promise that GM foods will not be allowed without full scientific evaluation,” she added.

The commercialization of GM mustard faces other tests too. During the case in the Supreme Court, the central government had promised that it would not approve GM mustard without the court’s nod.

“The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government had promised that GM food crops will not be allowed till all safety concerns are addressed and a consensus is achieved. If GEAC has cleared it we will go to any extent to stop it and would even come on streets,” said Deepak Sharma, the national media head of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch.

The BJP in its 2014 election manifesto had said GM crops would not be allowed without proper scientific investigation. But GM crops are central to the government’s plans for pushing investment and growth in the biotechnology sector. It is also considered critical by the government for boosting farm productivity in India.

Kuruganti further said that the government should not hide behind the Supreme Court.

“To hide behind SC doesn’t make sense for the government. It should be rejected by Anil Madhav Dave. This is fairly straight decision that they should be taking especially when BJP and Narendra Modi had promised to country in 2014 that it would not be brought without long term scientific evaluation,” she added.

Mustard set to be India’s first GM food, gets regulator nod

HIGHLIGHTS

• The GM mustard was developed by a Delhi University institution
• In 2010, the Bt Brinjal was cleared but the decision was not accepted by then environment minister
• Decision of the GEAC was, however, vehemently opposed by environmentalists
NEW DELHI: India's central biotech regulator, Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), on Thursday cleared the genetically modified (GM) Mustard for commercial cultivation and recommended its approval to the environment ministry.

The fate of this transgenic variety of oil-seed will now be in the hands of the MoS environment Anil Madhav Dave who may either accept it, reject it or sit over the file till the Supreme Court takes its call on a pending application on the matter.

The GM mustard, developed by a Delhi University institution, is only the second food crop which got its clearance from the central regulator. The GEAC had earlier in 2010 cleared the Bt Brinjal but the decision was not accepted by then environment minister Jairam Ramesh. Currently, only Bt Cotton - a non-food GM crop - is commercially cultivated in the country.

"The application on GM Mustard presented by Deepak Pental of South Campus (Delhi University) was appraised at the GEAC meeting held on Thursday. The GEAC has recommended the approval of GM Mustard to the environment ministry. Earlier, a sub-committee had appraised the safety document for GM Mustard", said Amita Prasad, chairperson of the GEAC.

Pental, ex-vice chancellor of the Delhi University and a well-known genetics scientist, had filed the application for commercial release of the GM Mustard in December 2015. The GEAC had subsequently set up a sub-committee to examine the safety aspect of the use of transgenic variety of the mustard. The sub-committee had last year given its safety clearance while noting that the GM Mustard is safe for human consumption and environment.

Decision of the GEAC was, however, vehemently opposed by environmentalists, anti-GM groups and even the RSS-linked economic policy think-tank Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM). Reacting to the development, the SJM's national co-convenor Ashwani Mahajan told TOI that the decision has no meaning at all when the matter is still pending in the Supreme Court. "We will write against the GEAC's move to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the environment minister Anil Madhav Dave, requesting them to reject the recommendation of the GEAC", said Mahajan.

The 'Sarson Satyagraha', a broad platform of hundreds of NGOs representing farmers, consumers, scientists and others that has been at the forefront of resisting the approval of GM mustard in India' too condemned the green signal to the herbicide tolerant GM Mustard.

"The GEAC has proven yet again that it is unscientific and uncaring with regard to citizens' health and environment. They have failed in their very mandate and purpose for which they have been created, to protect citizens from risks of GMOs. Earlier in the case of Bt brinjal too, they behaved irresponsibly and shamelessly unscientifically. In this case, it is a hazardous herbicide tolerant food crop at that, which has direct implications for a large number of Indian farmers, agricultural workers and consumers", said Kavitha Kuruganti of the Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA).

She, on behalf of the Sarson Satyagrah, said, "We have shown over the past several months, through rigorous analysis of available material, how this GM mustard dossier was rigged for favourable results, how it is an unneeded GMO, how it will increase chemicals in our food and farms (because it is a herbicide tolerant GMO) and how regulators should have never allowed it to proceed this far. They had ignored many valid questions raised by scientists and others and chose to function behind a shroud of secrecy".

Shops and bakeries come under scanner

Surveillance part of Statewide alert against sale of jelly candy, pudding and related products

Shops and bakeries in Ernakulam selling jelly candy and savouries will be under the close scanner of the Food Safety Department.

The move comes close on the heels of the death of a child due to suspected food poisoning after eating jelly candy from a bakery in Kozhikode last month. The surveillance over the shops and bakeries forms part of the State-wide alert against sale of jelly candy, pudding and related products. Senior officials of the Food Safety Department said that shop owners had removed the stocks of the jelly candy manufactured by a Coimbatore-based confectionery immediately after the Kozhikode incident hit headlines.

Food safety officials pointed out that samples of jelly candy and other confectioneries will be collected on a routine basis as part of the strengthened vigil after the Kohzikode incident. They have asked the retailers and wholesale shops not to sell sweets and savouries without mentioning the manufacturing date and expiry date. Stringent action will be taken against those responsible for not carrying the details of the ingredients in the food items, they said.

Misbranding

Bakers Association Kerala has demanded an increased vigil over the sale of chocolates, toffees, and jelly candy by misbranding it as foreign products. P. M. Sankaran, president of the association, said that several sweets and chocolates banned abroad are being sold through various outlets in the State. Bakeries should not sell items that lack the licence issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, he said.

FSSAI officials have made it clear that manufacturers should display the 14-digit licence number on the packet, container or bottle in which the food item is stored. It should also have the customer care number and address of the manufacturer. Those who fail to get the mandatory licence will be sentenced to six months in prison and fined ₹5 lakh, they said.

Vendors selling tap water in government hospitals caught

Chennai: The state's health department may be on their toes to keep infections, especially stomach-related ailments, at bay in the time of drought, but their own backyards lie unattended as government hospitals bristle with vendors selling unhygienic water. On Thursday, two vendors were caught at the women and children's hospital in Egmore selling, what is suspected to be, tap water in bottles.

Based on a tip-off, Tamil Nadu food safety department officials undertook an inspection at the Institute of Child Health and Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and found the vendors selling water from soiled containers with no label. "When we questioned them, they said they had bought it from a dealer nearby for Rs40," said an official who was part of the inspection team. The team tracked the dealer and found that he wasn't attached to a licensed manufacturer. "The dealer procures bubble-top cans and fills them with water. The vendors too keep refilling," said the official, adding 41 of them were seized. They suspect the cans were filled with tap water and sold for Rs8 a bottle.

Dr Raghunathan, resident medical officer at ICH, said vendors usually stand at the hospital gates selling water and food items. "They wait for doctors to leave for the day to enter the premises," he said, adding the hospital had repeatedly complained to the police and corporation to remove these hawkers. When asked if the hospital had sufficient drinking water for patients and attendants, he said it had two reverse osmosis drinking water units, and more are in the process of being set up. Patients, however, said on most days these taps ran dry, a claim supported by senior doctors. "You can't blame the hospital for this. We buy water from Metrowater. Sometimes we have to wait longer for it to come. Water is rationed when that happens," said a senior doctor, not willing to be named.

R Kathiravan, designated officer, Tamil Nadu food safety department, Chennai, said the health department would undertake inspections at hospitals and evict vendors. The department seized nearly 115 soiled or unlabelled cans from various parts of the city.

Chemically treated mangoes flood markets

GUWAHATI: The onset of the mango season has infused a worrisome trend in the city as deliciously and ripe mangoes laced with calcium carbide (CaC2) are thronging wholesale and retail fruit selling stores, posing a serious risks to public health. The blatant adulteration of the most sought after fruit was brought to light on Tuesday morning when officials of the Kamrup (metro) district food safety department raided some shops at the Fancy Bazaar locality, a commercial hub of the city.

At one of the raided shops, officials found 12 trays of mangoes weighing close to one quintal, suspected to be heavily ripened with calcium carbide. The sellers were picked up and sent to the local police station for interrogation.

"We got a tip-off from a source following which we raided some shops. We had long suspected that the sellers were resorting to ripening of mangoes with calcium carbide. Immediately after the raids we informed the police. The police picked up the sellers and sent them to the Fancy Bazaar police station. A FIR was lodged," said an official from the district food safety department.

Artificial ripening of fruits, especially bananas, papayas and mangoes, has been gaining ground in the recent past. It is difficult to distinguish naturally ripe fruits and the artificial variety, but officials identify the adulterated ones by the excessive yellowish colouring of the fruit.

"Last year also we conducted similar raids. This is a continuous practice that sections of the fruit sellers in the city resort to. We keep on imposing fines and penalties but after a while they again resort to this practice. There is a nexus between the fruit sellers," added the official.

Experts say calcium carbide poses severe health risks to the human body. CaC2 contains poisonous chemical components like arsenic and phosphorous. Many countries around the world have already banned or imposed stringent actions against those using it for ripening essential food items.

"The main problem with CaC2 is that it is used to generate a gas called ethylene. Ethylene, when used in small amounts, can help to swiftly ripen fruits. When someone consumes fruits ripened with ethylene gas, it can lead to stomach upset and in the long-term prolonged health ailments," said an expert.

Sweet seller in jail for adulterated food

VADODARA: A judicial magistrate's court here sentenced owner of a sweet shop to one year in prison with fine of Rs 5,000 for selling adulterated sweets at his shop near Por bus-stand.

Officials of Food and Drug Department went to the shop of Pritesh Patel in May 2008 and bought 750 grams of sweet which were kept on sale as samples. The food inspector sent samples to a public analyst and local health authority for examination.

The public analyst in his report informed the department that the sweet contained synthetic food colour which are prohibited. The food inspector lodged complaint against Patel under Prevention of Food Adulteration Act. During the trial, the accused asked for reanalysis of the sample in Central Food Laboratory. After testing the samples, the laboratory in its certificate submitted to the court said that the sample of the sweet does not confirm to the general safety standards laid down for food under the Act. Additional public prosecutor Pranav Joshi argued before the court that the food inspector had followed all procedures of sampling, sealing and packing according to the law and the evidence too proves the offence for which Patel should be convicted.

The judicial magistrate A P Patel, while sentencing the punishment to Patel observed that the adulterated food articles affects the health of public at large and therefore it is incumbent on the seller to maintain highest standards of quality.

Food safety team inspects stalls at Bathu Basti

A Food Safety Enforcement team of the Food Safety, A & N Islands, led by District Food Safety Officer, South Andaman inspected 12 food business premises, which includes bakeries, restaurants, petty vendors, hotels, grocery sellers, hawkers, road side eateries, poultry shop and other operators at the entire stretch of Bathu Basti recently. During inspection 11.6 kgs frozen dressed chicken was destroyed due to un-hygienic storage. The premise was closed immediately keeping in view of public health temporarily and directed FBO in-charge to clean and sanitize the entire premise before opening the shop to continue the business. Of the inspection made, three Food Business operators have been issued improvement notices, seven FBOs compounded and two were being adjudicated for offences committed under relevant section of Food Safety Act’2006.

The food business operators have been advised to keep their premises in hygienic conditions and to comply with provisions under the Food Safety Act’2006. General public have been requested to pass on contraventions found if any on food safety and also inform of storage, distribution, selling of any contraband products to the Commissioner Food Safety, A&N Islands at No.03192-231024/9434280018 or on District Control Room No.1070 for strict actions against violators. In order to provide safe, hygienic and wholesome food to the consumers, the Commissioner of Food Safety has sought co-operation of trading community to help the enforcement team of Food Safety Department of the District Administration.

Plastic Cabbage From China In India? No, It’s Wax Food Display Replicas In Japan

Over the past few days, Hindi news channels have gone in overdrive reporting about supposedly ‘plastic cabbage’ from China making its way to Delhi. The news reports emerged after a mobile video from Ambala, Haryana went viral on social media. The video claimed to show how a ‘plastic cabbage’ peel does not easily catch fire when placed over an open gas flame. Hindi news outlets such as Aaj Tak, News24, and Zee News ran the story.

News24 went a step further and reported that it had found a video of how plastic cabbage was made in China in its news report titled ‘plastic wali patta gobi‘. The video shows a south east Asian-looking man mixing colourful liquids in a large bowl of water and then shaping the substance to look like a real cabbage. News24 claimed that the video was from a lab in China.

But BOOM found the video was actually about wax food replicas to display outside restaurants in Japan. Moreover, the video is at least two years old, has Korean subtitles, a logo of SBS (Seoul Broadcasting System) and a dubbed voice over.

According to blog Kotaku, the hyper-realistic fake food is called “shokuhin sample” (食品サンプル) or “food sample”, and is not meant to be eaten. It is used outside restaurants in Japan as a display to supplement menu cards so that diners can literally see what they are ordering.

Many restaurants work closely with wax food makers to make accurate replicas of dishes on their menu. Restaurants can also buy shokuhin samples from shops that make them.

BOOM found several videos of “plastic cabbage” and “fake food” from Japan.

Fact checking organisation Snopes did a story about Japanese wax food samples when a hoax about China dumping “synthetic cabbages” on unwitting American consumers went viral.

“Even in the absence of ample evidence that wax food displays are exceptionally common in Asia, it stands to reason that synthetic cabbages wouldn’t fly as a market staple anywhere in the world due to the fact that wax is unpalatable and would clearly melt when cooked, and cabbage’s relatively low price point makes such a substitution costlier than retailing genuine cabbage.” – Snopes

BOOM has not verified the accuracy of the video from Ambala, Haryana or the many copycat videos that it has inspired.

However, so far there is no conclusive proof to say that rogue cabbages are being sold in India.

We reached out to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in New Delhi will update our story when we receive a response.

Parents and Varsity respond to government’s no-junk resolution

If you are one of those parents who cajole your kid with junk foods; be it for their homework or scoring best marks in the class, wait! You might want to think again about this, as the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is planning to levy additional taxes on processed food and sugar-sweetened beverages and also have called for a blanket ban on advertising of junk foods and beverages on kids' channels and on all other mediums that connect with children. This happened after the Maharashtra government announced a ban on the sale of junk food at the school canteens.

Schools Speak

According to the GR passed by the government on Monday, every school in the state is prohibited from selling or deal with junk foods, be it Government schools, private aided schools or the privately owned schools. The Principals of the private schools are confused as to why such a ban has been imposed when they already have implimented a no-junk food policy in their school canteens.

Talking to The Afternoon D&C, Nishant Garodia, the Principal of Garodia International School, Ghatkopar, explained the daily menu of their school canteen. He said,"The government's Junk food policy is valid and acceptable. However, as far as I know, even before the government asked, most of the private schools already followed the no-junk food rule in their canteens." According to him, Garodia International has a weekly food chart which includes healthy foods, however, they have a cheat day too!

"Every week, we have allotted one day as cheat day where the students will be given their beloved junkies. Pizzas, Pastas, Chocolates and Burgers. The reason behind this is not to oppress their urge to consume their favourite food," he added.

According to Garodia and other Principals, providing junk food once in a while is okay, they feel by stopping them from eating junkies, may lead to some other trouble. Psychologically, if a child is not given what they desire, they will find other ways to possess them which may prove fatal.

Dilshad Thobani, Principal of H.A and L.S Girls High School, Masjid Bunder, said, "I feel that's a very positive move. But even before the ban, I had asked the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) members to prepare home made stuff rather than packaged food items in their children tiffins."

Why Banning Junk Will Cause Trouble?

According to the canteen owners around the schools and colleges, the one thing that students are most attracted to is Junk food. Foods like potato chips of various brands, cold drinks, Frankie (bread roll), Pizzas, Pasta, etc. are students' favourite food types. The canteen owners are afraid that if the government asks them to discontinue selling all these junk food they might lose out on business.

What about the University ban?

The Government Resolution (GR) which was passed on Monday clearly stated the eradication of Junk food from the school canteens in the state. The question is that will the schools really work under the guidelines of the GR?

Like the Maharashtra government, The University Grants Commission (UGC) too had issued instructions last November against the availability and sale of junk food in the higher educational institutions. UGC, which works under the Human Resource Development (MHRD), had passed such an instruction to set new standards for healthy food and make the students live and learn better. However, the University of Mumbai (MU) still provides all types of Junk food and sweetened and carbonated drinks in their varsity canteens.

A taste of a healthier, emptier future?

It’s natural that the Indian middle-class bulge is seen differently by marketers and nutritionists. But the recent Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) move to decree as junk most things that Indians — large and small — love to munch on and recommend they be swept off our plates in the interests of good health and slapped with a sin tax may not do a fat lot of good. 

As the food authority’s no-nos include all sweet, deep-fried and salted ‘snacks’, potato chips, candy, burgers, pizzas, nuggets, noodles, confectionaries, packaged soups and colas, among many other things, children would be the first to ask — as they are wont to do — “Then what else is there for me to eat, even as a treat?” It is likely, therefore, that any caveat against these toothsome delights will be taken with a huge pinch of salt by most people. Man, after all, cannot live by bread alone, even if it is whole grain and bromate-free or a chapati. 

Given the flip-flops by experts on everything from salt and ghee to eggs and red meat — including sugar replacing fat as the new Public (Health) Enemy No. 1— Indians can be forgiven for being sceptical about this new good-food/bad-food diktat. In fact, they could get so spooked by harangues about what they should (not) eat that they may rush off for a sugar and-carb fix just to soothe their jangled nerves and tummies. 

Tips to Identify Food Additives : Exclusive Interview With Dr. Neha Gupta

Highlights:

• Food adulteration has reached epidemic proportions in India with many instances of food adulteration being reported.
• Dr. Neha provides tips to identifying food adulteration and safeguarding health.
• Buying good quality food is essential to safeguarding against ill effects of adulterated foodFood adulteration is when inferior materials are added to food to increase quantity with a view to improving profits. Adulteration leads to poor food quality and can affect the health of the individual. Some examples of food adulteration include:
• The addition of starch to paneer to make it thicker
• The addition of hydrogenated oil to ghee to make it yellow
• The addition of powdered bricks to red chiliFood adulteration can result in nausea, vomiting and blurred vision. Apart from the inferior material that are added to foods, spices like chili powder, turmeric powder and other powdered spices have high levels of pesticides in them.

Speaking exclusively to Medindia, Dr. Neha Gupta, Chief Nutritionist at N-lite Nutrition and Health Consultancy Pvt Ltd, talks about food adulteration in India and provides some detailed tips to identify adulterated food. Neha Gupta is the co-founder of N-lite Nutrition and is a Registered Dietitian, Certified Nutritionist and a Diabetes Educator with over 9 years of experience in food science. She has been a diet and lifestyle coach for health enthusiasts in India and abroad. With specialization in diabetes and clinical disorders, she has worked in hospitals, advising people on obesity, disease and lifestyle-related issues. 

‘“Starch, food colors, dust, horse dung are some of the commonly used adulterants in powdered spices and can lead to serious health complications”-- Dr. Neha Gupta.’

Medindia: What is the nutritional status of people in India?

Dr. Neha: India is a country in developmental transition which faces the dual burden of pre-transition and post-transition diseases. Malnourishment, under nutrition, infectious diseases, lifestyle-related degenerative diseases such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and cancer plague the nation. Indian diet in general is deficient in essential amino acids, and micronutrients such as vitamin A, folate, iron, vitamin D, vitamin B12, selenium and zinc. The requirements of some nutrients are especially high in adolescents and during pregnancy. With a transition in eating patterns, especially with respect to availability of convenience foods, there has been a shift from staples like wheat and whole grains to more of refined grains in the form of biscuits, pasta, different kinds of breads, which carry less nutrition. The intake of whole fruits and vegetables is also low in both rural and urban sectors.

Medindia: Is it better to buy sealed and packaged food rather than buying based on weight? 

Dr. Neha: While non-packaged food is fresh and healthy, there is always a high chance of infestation and adulteration at different levels. Packaged food, on the other hand, is manufactured in modern facilities that comply with strict quality and hygiene and packaging norms, thus the risk of infestation is relatively lower. Additionally food companies comply with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) rules and always detail out the ingredients that make-up the packaged product. Hence the consumer here makes an informed decision when purchasing a packaged food product, which will not be possible when buying a non-packaged item.

Medindia: Can you give our readers some tips to identify additives in food?

Dr. Neha: Indian cooking is incomplete without the usage of turmeric powder. However, a commonly used adulterant is the addition of lead chromate which gives it a bright yellow tinge and is insoluble in water. To detect the presence of lead chromate it can be mixed with water and placed in a beaker. If adulterated, it will immediately leak color. Red chili powder is the most commonly used spice in any Indian household and perhaps is also the most adulterated spice. The most commonly used adulterants in chili powders include presence of saw dust and brick powder. Add a teaspoon of chili powder in a glass of water and swirl it. Adulterated chili powder will dispel red swirl of color.

The presence of starch, food colors, dust, and horse dung are some of the commonly used adulterants in powdered spices and can lead to serious health complications. Immersing powdered spices in water will ensure that the adulterants float on the surface of the water while the remaining spices will settle on the bottom of the water surface. 

Medindia: Once you find that the food is adulterated, what is the next step?

Dr. Neha: Once we get to know that the food is adulterated, there is an urgent requirement that such a product should be withdrawn from the supply chain. The adulterated product can be returned to the sellers and a complaint can be lodged with the consumer courts or the city Food and Drug Administration department.

Medindia:How does food adulteration harm the body?

Dr. Neha: The ill effects are innumerable. Nausea, intestinal and digestive issues such as constipation and diarrhea are most common. High doses of pesticides in these can lead to mental retardation and certain type of cancers.

Medindia: Does street food have a lot of additives?

Dr. Neha: Yes, we can associate microbial contamination with food adulteration, which degrades the food quality and sometimes makes it unfit for consumption. Major sources contributing to microbial contamination are the place of preparation, utensils used for cooking and serving, raw materials, time and temperature, abuse of cooked foods and the personal hygiene of vendors. 

Medindia: How do we safeguard ourselves from buying adulterated food?

Dr. Neha: Indian food is incomplete without the addition of masala powders and spices but with this menace of contamination of spices, it can become a health hazard if consumed daily. The best way to avoid consuming spices which are adulterated is to buy them from a trusted source that packages them after being checked by food regulatory boards and carry either an ISI mark or an Agmark stamp.

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