Recently, Rajasthan's Food Safety Department collected food samples from across the state and conducted lab tests. You will be surprised to know that in Jaipur alone more than 30% of the food items in the test lab failed on various criteria. If we talk about the entire state, this figure is 27%.
30% of food items fail safety standards is a very alarming number, as the figure is no more than 17% worldwide. Whereas, the number of food samples that fail lab tests across the country is 22%. In terms of adulteration, Rajasthan is number one in the country and Jaipur is also number one in the state.
Between January 1 and August 30, 16,691 food samples were taken from across Rajasthan, of which 27% were found to be seriously adulterated. Investigation revealed that the stems were mixed with red chilli powder. Chemical colors were used to make the chutney look fresh. Wheat bran was dyed and mixed with coriander powder. The same oil was used many times to fry the kachori-samosas. The Food Safety Department has also fined the culprits, but these foods that have reached our kitchens can cause serious health problems.
This is not the first incident. Every year during festivals we see news of adulterated food on the pages of newspapers. From small shopkeepers to many famous brands, samples fail the lab test.
So today In work news Let's talk about how adulterated food items can be identified? You will also learn that-
- What kind of health problems can be caused by eating adulterated food?
- What to do if the shopkeeper adulterates the food?
Expert: Dr. Hari Prasad Yadav, Gastroenterologist, Medanta Hospital (Indore)
Question- What kind of adulteration is done in food items?
Answer- During major festivals like Navratri, Diwali, the number of adulterated food items in the market increases manifold. Adulterants add low quality ingredients to food items so that they can make maximum profit. From milk, ghee to oil and spices, no food item is excluded in this age of adulteration.
Understand the types of food adulteration that can occur from the following graphic.
Question- What kind of health problems can be caused by eating adulterated food? Answer: In today's era, food adulteration is a concern for the entire world. Due to increase in food demand during festivals, adulterers become more active and instead of good quality food items, they use poor quality ingredients or harmful chemicals, which if consumed cause many serious health problems. See graphic below-
Question- How can adulterated food be identified? Answer- It is generally observed that milk, ghee, oil and sweets are the most adulterated. In the year 2020, a survey was conducted by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to examine various types of products and sweets made from milk. In this survey, 2081 samples from different parts of the country were examined. During testing, 40% of the samples did not meet the prescribed standards.
Let us understand through the points given below how we can identify adulteration in food items.
Identify adulterated milk in this way
- To check urea adulteration in milk, take milk in a vessel and mix soybean powder in it.
- After this, dip a red litmus paper in a solution of milk and soybean powder for 5 minutes.
- If the color of the litmus paper changes from red to blue, urea has been added to your milk.
- To test the detergent, mix equal amounts of milk and water in a bottle.
- After this shake the bottle. If the solution becomes frothy or a thick foam forms, detergent has been added to the milk.
- To check for water contamination in milk, pour a few drops of milk on the surface of plastic or any other plain piece.
- After this bend it a little. If the milk does not leave a white mark, the water has been adulterated.
How to check if the coffee is pure
- Fill a glass with water and add coffee powder to it. After this, mix the coffee with water and leave it for 5 minutes.
- Pure coffee powder will dissolve completely in water, while coffee with dung or other impurities will settle to the bottom of the glass.
- Adulterants also add chicory powder (a type of seed that resembles coffee) to the coffee. To detect the adulteration of chicory powder, add a teaspoon of coffee to a glass of water and mix it well.
- Coffee powder floats on water, while chicory sinks.
How to detect artificial color in green vegetables
- Take a piece of cotton soaked in water.
- Rub it on a small portion of green vegetables.
- If the cotton turns green, the vegetable has been adulterated with malachite green, which is extremely harmful.
This is how to identify genuine tea leaves
- Take a tissue paper and spread some tea leaves on it.
- After this, add a few drops of water on the tea leaves and wet them.
- After a while, remove the tea leaves from the tissue paper. Genuine tea leaves will not stain the tissue paper, while adulterated tea leaves will leave yellow or orange stains.
Question- Where to complain if a shopkeeper adulterates food? Answer- If a shopkeeper sells adulterated sweets or other food, you can file a complaint under the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India i.e. FSSAI. For this you have to go to FSSAI office with the sample of that product. After this the sample will be sent to the lab by FSSAI for testing. If the food is found to be adulterated during testing, FSSAI will take legal action against the seller.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
