Protection of Consumers from adulteration of food

What is adulteration of food items?

Adulteration is a legal term meaning that a food substance fails to meet standards.
It usually refers to non-compliance with health and safety standards.
While traditionally, Indian families used to cook food at home with healthy ingredients and
knew what went into the meal, in modern times, with rising incomes and affluence, more and
more people are moving away to readymade fast foods and eating regularly at restaurants.
The food in many of these outlets is cooked with poor quality ingredients to attract and
satisfy the palate rather than provide a wholesome nutritional meal. We now have a lot more
varieties and the choices are many. Though, some of us may not be aware of the fact that the
food we consume may be adulterated, 25 to 30 per cent of the food items in India are
intentionally adulterated.

Food adulteration is the addition or removal of any substances to or from food, so that the
natural composition and quality is affected. Adulterated food is impure, unsafe and not
wholesome. Food can be adulterated intentionally and accidentally. Unintentional
adulteration is a result of ignorance or the lack of facilities to maintain food quality. This may
be caused by spillover effect from pesticides and fertilisers. Inappropriate food handling and
packaging methods can also result in adulteration

Why it is done ?
Intentional food adulteration is usually done for financial gain. The most common form of
intentional adulteration is colour adulteration. Some examples of intentional adulteration are
addition of water to liquid milk, extraneous matter to ground spices, or the removal or
substitution of milk solids from the natural product. Natural adulterationoccurs due to the
presence of certain chemicals, organic compounds or radicals naturally occurring in foods
which are injurious to health and are not added to the foods intentionally or unintentionally.
Some of the examples are toxic varieties of pulses, mushrooms, green and other vegetables,
fish and seafoods. About 5,000 species of marine fish are known to be poisonous and many
of these are among edible varieties (source) .

Mineral oil may be added to edible oil and fats and can cause cancers. Lead chromate added
to turmeric powder and spices can cause anaemia, paralysis, brain damage and abortions.
Lead added to water, natural and processed food can lead to lead poisoning. Lead poisoning
causes foot drop, insomnia, constipation, anaemia, and mental retardation. Cobalt added to
water and liquors and can cause cardiac damage. Copper, tin and zinc can cause colic,
vomiting and diarrhoea. Mercury in mercury fungicide treated grains or mercury
contaminated fish can cause brain damage, paralysis and death. Non-permitted colour or
permitted food colour like metanil yellow, beyond the safe limit in coloured food can cause
allergies, hyperactivity, liver damage, infertility, anaemia, cancer and birth defects.

Threat to Consumers:
One is familiar with the famous saying of one of the past prime ministers of India describing
corruption as universal and not confined to India. Same appears to be true with food
adulteration also. It is surprising that the fraudsters are always one step ahead of the safety
agencies when it comes to detecting adulteration and their techniques are increasingly
becoming more and more sophisticated with time. Food frauds literally constitute a high tech
industry because of the enormous economic gains inherent in adulteration. Interestingly
 costlier the food product, more incentive is available for evolving appropriate methods to
mimic the original product with cheap alternatives

There are some cases where there can be serious health consequences as illustrated when
melamine was added to infant formula and pet food in order to falsify the level of protein
content in these products.”

Acts/ Orders which have been repealed:

1. The Edible Oils Packaging ( Regulation ) Order 1998.

2. Fruit Products Order (FPO), 1955
3. Meat Food Products Order (MFPO) DIVISION
4. Milk and Milk Product Amendment Regulations, 2009
5. Prevention of Food Adulteration Act,1954
6. Solvent Extracted Oil, De-oiled Meal and Edible Flour (Control) Order, 1967
7. Vegetable Oil Product Order, 1980

Current enactment:
Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006
It was enacted to consolidate the laws relating to food and to establish the Food Safety and
Standards Authority of India for laying down science based standards for articles of food and
to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import, to ensure availability of
safe and wholesome food for human consumption and for matters connected there with or
incidental thereto.

This act defines various related terms which have been used in the act and are relevant to
food safety and standard. It lays down the composition of the Food Safety and Standard
Authority of India which under it has the members, terms of the members, scientific panel,
duties of the authority and proceedings before this authority. Next this act covers general
principles of food safety followed by general provisions as to articles of food, the use of
addictive food items or processing lid, genetically modified food, packaging and labeling.
Provisions of import are also given where no adulterated or unsafe food is to be imported into
India.

There is a provision for Food Analysis and for which laboratories are recognized and the
functions of a food analyst are given.

The offences and penalties can be summarized as following:

 Section 48 to Section 67 cover the offences and penalties

 Penalty for selling food not of nature or substance or quality demanded- the
penalty shall not exceed 5 lakh rupees
 Penalty for sub- standard food shall not exceed 5 lakh rupees
 Penalty for mis-branded food shall not exceed 3 lakh rupees and the authority
can take steps to correct such mistake.
 Penalty for misleading advertisement shall be liable for an extent of not more
than 10 lakh rupees
 Penalty for food containing extraneous matter shall not exceed 1 Lakh Rupees
 Penalty for unhygienic or unsanitary processing or manufacturing of food shall
not exceed 1 Lakh Rupees
 Penalty for processing an adulterant; incase it is not injurious to health then in
that case not exceed 2 lakh rupees but if it is injurious to health then maybe to
the extent of 10 Lakh Rupees
 Punishment for unsafe food varies from 1 lakh rupees to 10 lakh rupees as
according to Section 59 of the act
 Section 65 covers the compensation in case of injury or death of consumer, be
liable to 5 lakh rupees in case of death; 3 lakh incase of grievous hurt and 1 lakh
in case of all other injury, the food authority can also cancel the food license of
such person etc.