Question

speech on adulteration in food products

Answer 1

Adulteration is done by antisocial persons who want to make easy money. They mix low quality, cheap, non-edible substances with food and make it adulterated. The cheap, low quality and generally non-edible substances which are purposely mixed with food items to earn profit, are called ADULTERANTS.

Food adulteration is a serious crime which is punishable under the law. Consumption of adulterated food can cause serious disorders such as diarrhoea, asthma, ulcers, food poisoning, cancer and may even result in death. Consumption of Holdi adulterated with lead chromate, may lead to serious mental disorders, especially in children. It can also cause anaemia and paralysis. Dhania powder is adulterated by adding powdered cow- dung or horse dung to it. Milk is adulterated with water and chemical mixture of urea etc., rice with stones and cooking oil with inferior quality oils. Most of the adulterants are very harmful and toxic.

More than 54 people died in Delhi due to mustard oil and several hundreds were hospitalised. Several days after this tragedy Delhi Government and other states banned the sale of mustard oil. This adulteration caused swelling of legs, loss of eye-sight, damage to liver, heart and kidneys resulting in different types of death. Greed and profit motive encourages the businessman for adulteration because the culprits responsible for adulteration are not punished seriously to that level which make them human killer.

The investigation by the crime branch indicates that if P.F.A. (Prevention of Food Adulteration) department have been more alert and dutiful, this tragedy could have been averted. The P.F.A. had received complaints but it simply sat over the complaints. It did not take any action. In order to prevent the adulteration of food-the Government has laid down certain rules as the prevention of Food Adulteration Acts and Rules and Food Products Orders, to keep a check on the quality of various food products manufactured.