Telangana tops in food fraud

Hyderabadi biryani samples tested over last two years by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) labs were found to be unsafe for consumption.

HYDERABAD: For ardent lovers of biryani, Hyderabad is nothing short of heaven. Look close enough, and you will find something special to dig into, in every nook and corner of the city. The fragrant dish is a sight to the sore eyes as well -- a golden cloud made with basmati and spiced just right.However, think twice before getting enamoured by this golden cloud once again. Because according to a food safety official in the city, many biryani samples tested over last two years by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) labs were found to be unsafe for consumption. 

Reportedly, these biryani outlets were using artificial colours that could prove harmful to people’s health to increase its appeal.The list of adulterated products in the State, however, is definitely not limited to just biryani. 

According to the reply to a question on food adulteration that was tabled in the Lok Sabha recently by Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Health, about a quarter of all the food being sold in the state of Telangana by restaurants and other food outlets might be adulterated and unfit for consumption.

In the two years of 2016-17 and 2017-18, up to 22 per cent of the 2,303 food samples, collected from Food Operating Businesses (FOB) in Telangana and tested in FSSAI labs, were found not to be conforming to the standards set by FSSAI. 

This puts Telangana right at top in the list among those States, of which most of the food samples collected were found to be adulterated and ultimately, unfit and unhealthy for consumption. A number of food safety authorities in Hyderabad revealed to Express that a majority of the adulterated samples are actually packaged dairy products. However, products like biryani and mangoes figure in the list too. 

“In curry points, dal samples were found to contain prohibited colours. The primary issue with fruits is the usage of artificial ripeners,” said a food safety official.According to the FSSAI report tabled in the Lok Sabha, out of 1,480 food samples that were tested in Telangana in 2016-17, 330 were found to be non-conforming to FSSAI standards. This led to the filing of as many as 188 criminal and civil cases. In 2017-18, 175 of the 823 samples tested were found to violate the prescribed standards, following which 40 cases were registered.