One-fifth of food items in the market, tested by government labs last year, were either substandard or adulterated, records of the health and family welfare ministry have revealed.
The food items tested range from everyday items such as edible oil, milk, sugar and grains to ready-to-eat packed foods available in grocery shops as well as kirana stores.
As part of a standard procedure followed by all states, 29,328 samples of various food items were collected from markets, including malls as well as wholesale shops, in the financial year 2012-13. Of these, 5,180, or about 20%, were either adulterated or substandard.
Food items that do not meet the standards set by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), or have an inferior quality substance added to them fall in this category.
Worse, the amount of adulterated food making its way to the market is on the rise. While the figure stood at 8% in 2008-09, it more than doubled to 20% in 2012-13. Worried by the trend, the FSSAI in October, 2011 requested all the states to take stringent action against peopled involved in the adulteration business.
Consumption of adulterated food leads to serious health problems such as heart disease and even neurological problems, especially in children, said public health activist Dr Meera Shiva.
“Increasing use of chemicals and pesticides for production and storage has also significantly contributed to the increase in adulterated food items in the market,” she said.
Food safety officers appointed by each state government regularly pick up random food samples from markets. These are then tested in the 123 government laboratories spread across the country.
The state governments then send the results to FSSAI, which compiles the figures and takes necessarily action.
Going by the figures between 2008 and 2010, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are the three states with the worst record.
As per the new rules, a food business operator — anyone involved in the manufacture, storage, distribution or retail of food items — can be punished if the food item is not up to the mark.
However, the low prosecution rate of those found guilty has led to a spike in adulteration.
According to the ministry’s records, the average prosecution rate in the past five years has been only 13%.
The lack of a proper monitoring mechanism is another reason for the problem. At present, there are more than 50 million food business operators who are required to register with the state governments. But until April, 2013, only 2% had done so.
