Check on adulterated palm jaggery

For long, a section of producers in Thoothukudi have been selling adulterated palm jaggery. 

Norms laid down for manufacturers and traders

Following complaints regarding widespread adulteration of palm jaggery in the district, the Food Safety Department has planned to crack down on manufacturers making adulterated jaggery, as time sought by producers and traders to comply with the norms came to an end on September 15.

The adulteration affects consumers, many of whom suffer from various ailments like diabetes, who consider palm jaggery a healthy alternative to sugar. But sugar, which is a cheaper sweetener, found its way into palm jaggery as an adulterant.

“For long, a section of producers have been selling adulterated palm jaggery. Due to lack of labelling of ingredients in retail sale, there is no transparency,” says V. Gunaselan, a social activist in Udangudi, which is well known for its ‘panakarupatti.’ “While jaggery can be produced for a few months from March to August, those who adulterate the product continue to produce it round the year.”

It makes production of unadulterated palm jaggery unsustainable for producers. “The price of jaggery in the market suffers steep cut due to cheaper adulterated product,” says A. Ravi of Thoothukudi South District Vanigar Sangangalin Peravai, who also produces palm jaggery. “It has become more difficult to find palm tappers, who continue to leave the profession. As a result, migrant workers are brought from places like Nagercoil and wages go up making the business unsustainable,” he says.

Following an amendment to the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, standards for jaggery and cane jaggery were created. The norms have a clear distinction between jaggery, prepared from palmyra palm, date palm or coconut palm, and cane jaggery made by boiling or processing juice pressed from sugarcane.

In August, based on the instruction of the Collector after complaints, two meetings were held in Thoothukudi with producers and traders. “Only if jaggery is produced from pathaneer and not mixed with sugar, should it be labeled as panakarupatti (palm jaggery) or panakarkandu (palm candy or misri). Even if one % of sugar is mixed, it would be considered as adulterated, and the inventory will be seized,” officials told the stakeholders during the meeting.

Various other instructions including implementation of good hygienic practices in manufacturing, labelling clearly whether it is palm or cane jaggery, both in Tamil and English, installation of a pest control system were given to producers and retailers.

R. Karunakaran, Designated Officer for Food Safety, said only 27 out of about 180 manufacturers in the district have valid licences. “Some producers have started labelling their products in compliance with the norms,” he says.

He said the department would collect samples from producers, wholesale distributors and retail shops, who would be fined a minimum of ₹1 lakh, if found to be not complying with the norms.

Dr. Karunakaran has a few tips for consumers. “Unadulterated palm jaggery would not be very hard, and would be less sweet compared to adulterated one. On exposure to air, it would become sticky and will be medium brown in colour. As pathaneer has lime content, it would have a slight bitter taste,” he says.