by Christopher Arnett
Native Foods Cafe
An article posted Tuesday by the Chicago Tribune recounted some disturbing food safety trends in India. It seems adulterating food with harmful chemicals for various economic reasons has been a long-standing practice in India. And now that authorities are trying to crack down on the offenders and improve the standards of food safety, they are being met by large-scale resistance.
Let’s start with the fruits and veggies, shall we? Apparently, the use of a harmful chemical called calcium carbide is rife in India. It is used to bring fruits to a ripened state in a matter of hours, whereas the process would occur naturally in a matter of weeks. So why are the vendors trafficking in produce that is so under-ripe? Well, unfortunately the economic and agricultural infrastructure in India is currently not very conducive to the expedient transportation of fresh produce to intended markets over long distances. Due to the slow-going on traffic-jammed roads littered with pot-holes and lack of refrigerated storage, a whopping 40% of produce rots before even making it to the city market stalls. Obviously, this is just bad business. And obviously, the vendors need a solution to this problem in order to protect their livelihood. Unfortunately, that’s where harmful chemicals and consumer deception come into play.
As I said earlier, the use of calcium carbide is widespread among Indian produce vendors. Incidentally, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has gone so far as to ban the chemical because it is a carcinogen known to cause cancer. In spite of this, individuals continue to use it. Disturbingly, the official that was interviewed for this article stated that even though the chemical is “not harmful.” He even went so far as to defend its use by pointing out that ripe fruit could be transported from so far away without it. And vendors will go to other measures to sell their wares, as well. It’s not uncommon for them to polish or dip fruit in artificial colors to give them a fresh appearance. And that’s not all. Apparently, rat poison has been found in vegetables, and batches of unregulated moonshine liquor have killed scores of people at a time. Whoa! All in all, the Food Safety and Standards Authority has found that 13% of all food in India is unfit for consumption. Yikes!
The shiny ones are the ones to watch out for. “Looks good to the eye but ends up bad to the stomach,” says one Delhi vendor.
India has a seen a surge in economic growth in the past two decades, but food safety standards have struggled to keep pace. This is largely due to the massive impoverished sector of Indian society who can’t afford to be so discriminating in their consumption and selling of contaminated foods. If it comes down to eating the adulterated food or not eating at all, the choice is obvious. And if you can’t sell enough of your wares, you can’t support your family.
The situation in India is a tough one, and my heart goes out to all those people who don’t have access to basic healthy food and nourishment. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India hopes to increase its staff and funding next year, so here’s hoping they’ll help improve the health and wellbeing of all these people.
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Posted by: Environmental Chemistry Book | 02/21/2012 at 10:49 PM