Report unearths bottled water scam: Here's how to check quality, ensure it's fit for consumption

The latest investigation into the safety or the lack of it of packaged drinking water comes from Eenadu, a leading Telugu daily in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Predictably, after testing all the samples that it had collected from the two states, at a laboratory, the newspaper found that most had deadly bacteria and other harmful impurities, and were unfit for consumption.

In an exhaustive report published on Friday, the paper said that about 20,000 unlicensed "water purifying plants" in the two states are throwing all norms to winds and are supplying polluted water that jeopardises people’s health in a big way.

A third of the samples that Eenadu tested contained E-coli, a faecal bacteria found in the intestines of humans and animals, that causes diarrhoea. Another one-third were found to be unfit for consumption. Other samples contained hazardous contaminants including pseudomonas, salmonella and staphylococcus. Samples collected from Hyderabad were found to be polluted with sewage water.

The investigation by Eenadu is not the first of its kind and won’t be the last either if the health authorities do not clamp down on what is clearly a nation-wide scam.

Some twenty years ago, my colleagues at a newspaper conducted a similar investigation and found that bottled water of even well-known brands contained impurities beyond tolerable limits.

Just as the demand for packaged water is going up in India, fraudsters are mushrooming across the country to make quick bucks by inundating the market with polluted and harmful water. Officials of state and central governments are throwing up their hands, claiming to be helpless.

Mumbai’s bottled water may cause cancer

This is not to cause panic, but only to caution consumers that a significant amount of what passes off as packaged water that comes in both bottles and bigger cans in India is not only impure but even harmful to health.

During 2014-15, Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raided 95 water packaging plants in the state, including ten in Mumbai, and tested samples collected from them. Of the 95 samples, 28 were found to be contaminated with bacteria and 23 didn’t meet quality standards.

Four scientists of the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Section of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre analysed commercial brands of packaged drinking water available in Mumbai for the presence of bromide, bromate, chlorate and chlorite. Their startling findings were published in the January 2015 issue of Current Science.

They found that, in 27 percent of the Mumbai samples, the proportion of potentially cancer-causing bromate was higher than the World Health Organisation (WHO) guideline value.

Centre calls it a problem of states

Answering a question from Santosh Ahlawat, BJP’s Lok Sabha member from Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan, consumer affairs minister Ram Vilas Paswan told the Parliament in May 2016 that of the 734 samples analysed across India during 2014-15, as many as 226 were adulterated.

Paswan made it clear that the implementation and enforcement of Food Safety And Standards Act – 2006 and the rules framed under it, which govern the packaged water industry as well, "primarily rests with" governments of states and union territories.

According to Paswan’s information tabled in the Lok Sabha, detection of impurities found in packaged water during 2014-15 in some of the states is as listed in the table below.

State Bottled water samples analysed Samples found adulterated

Maharashtra 89 29

Gujarat 74 15

Andhra Pradesh 54 38

Karnataka 43 29

Tamil Nadu 57 34

Kerala 16 3

Demand for packaged water shoots up

The awareness that tap water supplied by public drinking water supply systems is unhygienic and the belief that bottled water is pure and safe has caused a major boom in the packaged water industry in the last two decades. While many Indians, and not just tourists, picking up water bottles from roadside shops is a fairly common sight, water cans of 20 litres or more are increasingly becoming fixtures in Indian kitchens, with the convenience of home delivery significantly adding to their popularity.

In the last five years alone, the industry has more than doubled in worth to Rs 16,000 crore. While giants like Bisleri, Pepsico, Coca-Cola and Parle take a major share, largely in metros, small players have been steadily stepping in to rake in the moolah in smaller cities and towns.

This breathtaking growth and the proliferation of companies has led to greedy and unscrupulous elements flooding the market with substandard and potentially harmful products.

Some just fill bottles, unhygienic ones at that, with water from wells or taps and palm them off as "bottled water". Some set up so-called water-purifying plants in garages or cowsheds or in the backyards of their homes and operate them with no trained staff. A 2003 study found pesticide residues in bottled water sold in Delhi and Mumbai.

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), which regulates the industry, has laid down that water must be subjected to processes called pressure sand filtration, activated carbon filtering, reverse osmosis, ozonisation and ultraviolet treatment before it’s packaged and sold.

Many plants are run without the mandatory approvals from the BIS as well as Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). While it may need an investment of up to Rs 20 lakh to run a legal and hygienic plant, many jump into the business with just Rs 2.5 lakh with some sort of equipment that contaminates more than purifies the water.

Even if a water purifier is perfect, it creates other problems because water purification is much more than just getting rid of impurities. While the reverse osmosis process takes away impurities it also removes from water most of the calcium and magnesium, essential for good health. The purified water must also be “remineralised” to bring back the minerals.

How to check if your water is safe

It’s tough for consumers to check whether or not the packaged water is safe. The least we can do is to check whether or not the container is properly sealed and look for details like manufacturing date and batch number.

Also, it's important is to check whether or not the container carries the ISI mark which the BIS awards. To find how a genuine ISI mark should look like, check this link. And to find out whether or not the ISI certification on your packaged water is genuine, click here and then click on 'status of licenses'. Type in the license number that follows the letter CM/L under the ISI mark on the container of the packaged water and then click on 'report'. If the certification is genuine, you will see the name of the company, address and phone numbers. Check if these details are the same as what you see on the container.

But what if a fraudster copies the ISI certification and other details of a genuine company on his containers? There's very little you could do in a situation like this apart from alerting the BIS or local health authorities. In cases of such frauds, the chances of you going to a hospital on account of consuming contaminated water are more than that of the criminals responsible for it going behind bars.

Forget beef, let’s talk about water of the packaged variety. It’s one humongous scam.

Drinking raw milk, a risky health craze

Oil is not well

Crush plastic bottles after use

Bhubaneswar: We often ignore this warning: Crush bottle after use. We keep reusing drinking water bottles and soft drink bottles for long. But, we should abandon them once they develop scratches inside. The reason: Bacteria grow in scratches of bottles after prolonged use.

“Daily wear and tear from repeated wash and reuse can lead to breakdown of plastic as it thins or cracks. Faults in plastic harbour bacteria posing grave health hazard to the users,” said an expert quoting the Journal of Practical Gastroenterology, US (2007).

Normally, plastic bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Significantly, food safety agencies like US Food and Drug Administration consider PET as safe for single and repeat use. However, scientists suggest cleaning bottles to prevent accumulation of bacteria and repudiating their use once scratches develop. 

Researchers from University of Calgary, Canada, collected 76 samples of water from bottles used and reused by elementary schoolchildren. They found nearly two-thirds of the samples had bacteria that exceeded prescribed limits for safe drinking water. Hence, it is advisable to clean the bottles regularly and avoid their use when they develop scratches. 

Significantly, several soft drink manufactures make use of bottles for single use and follow a unique coding pattern – Resin Identification Code (RIC) – indicating the required frequency of their reuse. But, many are unaware of the restrictions and use the bottles frequently.

“The plastic bottles are easy to handle and I get it free when I buy soft drink. Since I have not faced any issue for a long time, I will continue to use it,” said Sumitra Sahoo, a homemaker.

Interestingly, bottle manufacturers in the city do not follow the standard practice. The city’s food safety officer informs Orissa POST that she had informed her higher-ups on the issue.

“We have issued licence to the manufactures as they have BIS certification. So, we will take necessary action once we get a response from the higher-ups,” assures Food Safety Officer Pratiksha Mohapatra.

Environmentalists have expressed concern on the issue. “The government has generated awareness and come up with healthy alternatives. The increasing plastic waste is a matter of concern and we have to find out solutions,” said environmentalist Sunder Narayan Patro.

After reading this you will think twice before eating on street

Adulteration activities are on a higher level than ever before in Hyderabad city especially due to lack of proper enforcement. The Food Adulteration Department hardly conducts any raids as they are facing a staff crunch.

Hyderabad local food products have become so deadly these days with food adulteration rackets expanding their business by mixing fakes with anything and everything sold in the city. They mix masala powders with sawdust and brick powder and ice-cream and cool drinks with glycerol monostearate and caraway seeds with sodium hydrosulphite.

Sources report that even highly toxic materials like papaya seeds mixed with synthetic gum and red and black iron oxide are sold as pepper. Investigations have revealed that they took the cue from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Low-income consumers, who can't afford branded materials is the most affected as adulterated food is sold for a cheaper price. However, a majority of Hyderabad is not aware of the issue, a senior police officer said.

Food safety officials say they have only three officials and it is not humanly possible to cover every nuke and corner of the city, sources said.

With this issue, the job of raids has been left to the police, who bust food adulteration rackets occasionally. The police officials have now taken up the task and are asking for support from food inspectors. "With the adulteration so widespread, we will have to conduct raids regularly. Another drawback is that offenders get bail too easily," Commissioner's Task Force DCP B. Limba Reddy said. 

Suggested ban on momos

We get celebrities to give their take on a current issue each week and lend their perspective to a much-discussed topic.

As bizarre as it may sound a BJP legislator, Ramesh Arora, has been campaigning for a ban against momos in slums across Jammu.

As bizarre as it may sound a BJP legislator, Ramesh Arora, has been campaigning for a ban against momos in slums across Jammu. However, his food activism is not limited to the popular succulent street savoury. The lawmaker is against “cancer-causing” Chinese cuisine laced with monosodium glutamate, sold under the brand name Ajinomoto, a chemical flavour enhancer. We speak to food experts, chefs and celebrities on the ill effects on harmful additives like Ajinomoto, whether the ban is justified and if it can be fixed in any way.

‘Shouldn’t we ban the ingredient instead?

Rakhee Vaswani, Celebrity Chef

I understand the health consequences, but I also feel that there is always a possibility of getting healthier substitutes and natural taste enhancers. And if the problem was Ajinomoto, shouldn’t we be banning the ingredient rather than the food dish? Let’s accept it, momos are not the only dish that has Ajinomoto. I feel the problem is deeper than just momos. Let’s make wiser decisions and focus on other things that need attention.

‘Ajinomoto is present in natural foods too’

Soju Philip, Executive Chef at Ramada Cochin Resort

A ban against momos is no way a justifiable proposition since it is a typical ethnic food of the North East. The street food is, in fact, part of our heritage in the same way as vada pav is a part of the culinary heritage in Mumbai.

Only good ingredients and hygienic kitchens can ensure food safety. There have been no definitive scientific studies to establish that monosodium glutamate is harmful. In my view, limited usage is not going to cause any harm. What Ajinomoto achieves is to bring a sixth dimension of taste called umami. This taste is naturally present in several food substances anyway.

The need of the hour is to ensure that the food we eat is safe for consumption and free of adulteration. This is where the authorities can contribute a lot by implementing laws already in existence.

‘The scientific evidence against MSG is hardly conclusive’

Anoothi Vishal, food expert, and columnist

If this is the case, then I would have to say that our lawmakers have gone absolutely overboard. The scientific evidence against MSG is hardly conclusive.

Adding MSG to your food in moderate quantities as a taste enhancer is hardly cancer causing. This is a myth because glutamate is the same substance even found in tomatoes!

To ban something on hearsay, because of an inconclusive mythic belief that has been discredited even in the West is ridiculous. Even earlier in America, MSG was only linked to headaches, nausea, etc. but not cancer. A safe and permitted brand can be used in limited quantities. Better still, you can use glutamate in anything from natural sources like tomatoes and cheese!

‘Ajinomoto has proven to cause adverse health effects’

Sneha Chandrashekar, Food & Technology entrepreneur, The Chef Post

I think the ban should be more focused on the use of Ajinomoto, which is primary ingredient, in momos. This particular ingredient has proven to cause adverse health effects in children and adults alike, but it’s not just used in momos, but various other food products. The stringency should be centered around the foodmaking process, hygiene standards of street food and banning of such an ingredient as against a complete ban on popular street food.

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Quality Check

 

‘No plastic rice in Coimbatore’

Rice samples collected from various shops sent for analysis

Amid rumours on the presence of plastic rice in the State, officials of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) here collected samples of rice from shops.

FSSAI officials said that 19 samples of rice, each amounting to 500g, were lifted on Friday and Saturday from wholesale and retail shops.

Officials said that the samples will be sent to a Government-run laboratory for examination.

“The 19 samples were lifted after conducting inspections in more than 200 shops in the district. The samples were collected based on a directive from the Commissioner of Food Safety,” said O.L.S. Vijay, Designated Officer, FSSAI, Coimbatore.

Dr. Vijay said that no instances of plastic rice sold or detected have been reported in Coimbatore so far.

“We have not received any complaints related to plastic rice here,” said Dr. Vijay.

According to officials, plastic or synthetic rice can be identified through simple methods if people are doubtful about the genuineness. Unlike normal rice, plastic or synthetic rice are likely to float if put in a glass of water. Similarly, synthetic grains will easily burn like plastic if set on fire. If the grains are not natural, the cooked rice will have longer shelf life too according to officials.

While normal rice gets fried when heated in a pan, plastic rice will is easily melted due to the heat.

Similarly, the colour of the batter made of synthetic rice will be slightly yellowish while the one made out of natural rice will be whitish.

In case of suspicion over the quality of rice, public can contact FSSAI at 0422-2220922, 94440-42322.

Scare over plastic rice spurs inspection across 74 outlets

CHENNAI: Two days after claims of plastic rice being sold in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh started doing the rounds, the food safety department here undertook inspections at retail stores across the city on Friday. Officials say they found no trace of plastic grains.

Following a directive from the state food safety commissioner, officials inspected rice sold at 74 outlets across the city, including in Anna Nagar, Mylapore and Parry's corner. Fourteen samples were elected and sent for testing.

"They turned out to be real rice grains," said R Kathiravan, designated food safety officer for Chennai. The department had undertaken similar inspections two months ago in parts of North Chennai following concerns raised by the public after a video showing plastic rice being sold in markets started doing the rounds."We did not find anything amiss then too. However, we will continue our checks if and when we get complaints," said Kathiravan.

While food safety officials fanned out to conduct inspections on Friday, a group of people at the bus depot in Ayanavaram claimed they had found plastic rice in the government canteen there. Some rolled the rice into balls and threw them at passing buses. Officials collected nine samples from the canteen alone.

The directive was given in the wake of a complaint lodged by a man from Hyderabad alleging the biriyani he had bought was made of plastic grains.

Two day later, another customer from another part of the city approached the police with a similar complaint. He said that when he had rolled the rice into balls, "it bounced off like it was made of rubber". Following these incidents, social media was abuzz with videos of plastic rice being imported in from China. The videos put the spotlight on how polythene inserted into machines create noodle like plastic sticks which are finally cut into the shape of rice. This is not the first time videos have triggered panic among the public, pushing food safety officials to conduct checks. In April, officials undertook inspections looking for eggs made of plastic.

1,000 kg of mangoes seized

In a surprise check made in houses of mango growers and merchants in Mooduvaarpatti near Alanganallur, officials found calcium carbide stones were allegedly used to ripen the fruits.

Speaking to reporters, the officials from food safety department said that following a specific input, the teams swung into action at the village, where many farmers had raised mangoes in their farms. Investigations revealed many merchants had encouraged the farmers to use carbide stones for speedy ripening, as there was a good demand for mangoes in the markets now. Close to 1,000 kilograms of mangoes were seized.