Article: It is not right to hide one’s face on adulteration

Shailendra Pandey
‘There were shops built with the help of roofs, rotten pieces of wood and tin and scrap as per local capacity. … Almost everyone had a favorite drink of the public, which was made there with the help of dust, chikat, repeatedly used tea leaves and boiling water etc. Among them were sweets, who bravely faced the storms and attacks of flies and mosquitoes day and night. They provided evidence of the craftsmanship and scientific proficiency of our indigenous artisans. … We are the only ones in the world who know how to transform garbage into delicious food items.’

Shrilal Shukla’s ‘Raag Darbari’ has been around for almost 6 decades. But, it seems that Shivpalganj and the nearby town of his/her novel are still stuck there. Perhaps the change has come so much that the shops have now become more shiny. But, in the matter of food and drink, the skill is the same as the old one, in fact it seems that they have become more adept in this art than before. Garbage is still being converted into food. And that too not in any Shivpalganj, but in the country’s capital Delhi. A few days ago, 15 tonnes of fake spice was caught. These spices were being prepared from rotten rice, rotten coconut, coriander seeds, wood sawdust, bran, citric acid etc.

adulteration of spices
Once upon a time, the fragrance of Indian spices used to attract people from all over the world here. Now because of those spices, India’s image is being tarnished. Singapore, Hong Kong and Nepal have banned some spices of two big Indian brands. These countries say that there is a possibility of pesticide ethylene oxide in Indian spices. At the same time, Britain’s Food Safety Agency has said that the inspection of spices coming from India should be tightened. Whether FSSAI has to give clarification or not, food rules are strictly followed here.

Rejected products

This time the finger has been pointed at spices, but the question regarding Indian food items is not new. In the last few years, Basmati rice and wheat grown in India have been returned due to excessive use of pesticides. Even the Turks have returned our tea leaves. No food item can reach the US market without the inspection of America’s food regulatory agency FDA and many shipments from India have been rejected in the last one year. Food safety authorities of the European Union have also reported adulteration in more than 500 Indian products in the last four years.

less lab
The responsibility of maintaining food quality in the country rests with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The agency also conducts investigations from time to time, but the issue is that the work is not done on the large scale it should be. According to the agency’s website, there are 207 NABL accredited food testing labs. This figure is of 23 April 2024. The validity of 20 labs had expired or was suspended during this period. There are 20 referral food labs. Considering the problem of adulteration, this number should have been much higher.

weak system
Consumer Voice of Delhi is a voluntary action group, which keeps raising issues related to the society. Its COO Ashim Sanyal said in a conversation with ET that the country’s food regulator is reactive instead of proactive, that is, it waits for complaints instead of taking action itself. Sanyal says that civil society is continuously demanding that FSSAI needs a strong system for surveillance testing.

food diplomacy
When PM Narendra Modi visited America last year, for the first time the menu of the official banquet there was kept pure vegetarian. This was part of that food diplomacy, which no country can ignore today. Today India sends rice, wheat, maize, groundnuts, spices, pulses etc. to other countries.

impact on relationships
After the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, when India satisfied the hunger of many countries with its wheat and rice, it not only increased trade but also strengthened relations with those countries. But, incidents of adulteration and low-quality affect it. If we take the issue of spices, the questions arising one after the other have increased the concern. The report of the US Department of Agriculture shows that out of all the food imports canceled between 2002 and 2019, the maximum of about 23% were from India.

what should be done
There is a need to further strengthen the food regulatory authority. There should be more experts, more samples should be taken, there should be more labs in which more tests can be done. This work should not be seasonal, such that action is taken only during festivals or when complaints are received from somewhere, but should go on forever. Those who play with health should be punished severely. The system should be so simple that even a common man can complain easily. People should be made aware about this. Those doing adulteration are not only playing with the health of the public, but are also playing with the image of the country and our economy.