‘1/3 of food samples tested in 2018-19 found adulterated’

NEW DELHI: Almost one third of the food samples tested in 2018-19 were found adulterated or substandard with Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu leading the list where nearly half of the samples failed the test, according to government data. The share of failed samples during the two previous years was nearly 25%.

In a written reply, Union food and consumer affairs minister Ram Vilas Paswan told Lok Sabha on Tuesday that between 2016-17 and 2018-19, about 8,100 people were convicted for committing such offences and food safety authorities across the states had collected nearly Rs 43.65 crore fine from the offenders. He quoted the data supplied by the state governments. The tests are carried out on the parameters set by the food safety regulator, FSSAI.

According to ministry’s data, over 20,000 out of the total 65,000 samples failed the test in 2018-19. During 2017-18, over 24,000 samples out of 99,000 did not conform to the norms and during 2016-17, the number of failed samples was more than 18,000 out of the total 78,000 that were tested.

To put a check on the adulteration of food items, the government has also introduced the Consumer Protection Bill which mandates harsh penalty and even imprisonment for such offences.

FSSAI nod to powder for safe mango ripening

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has given its stamp of approval to ‘En-Ripe’, an ethylene gas encapsulated powder developed by a city-based startup, as a safe method for artificial ripening of mangoes.

The Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) declared it acetylene-free in its report last year, said Pramod Kumar Mamidi Reddy, director of Heighten Innovative Solutions that manufactures the innovative product. “It ripens fruits without any dangerous chemical effects, and will be a game-changer for farmers producing mangoes and bananas in particular,” he said at a press conference here on Tuesday.

The powder contains vegetable starch extracted from bananas, coir pith and activated charcoal to attract moisture for ethylene release.

“One sachet costing ₹25 would be enough for ripening 20 kgs of fruits. All it costs is 50 paise per kg and farmers can themselves ripen and sell the fruits at a higher price in the market rather than depending on traders,” said Madhava Reddy Maddi, managing director of the startup.