What is Food Adulteration?

 

Adulteration is a legal concept that describes when a food product fails to fulfil legal requirements. An addition of another substance to a food item in order to increase the quantity of the food item in raw or prepared form, which may result in a loss of actual quality of the food item, is one form of adulteration. It starts with our regular groceries and progresses to our life-saving medications. And infants' milk items have not been spared by the sinners.

Adulterants are substances or chemicals that, when added to a food item, reduce the consistency and nutritional value of that food item. Adulterants degrade food's natural consistency. Adulterated food is harmful because it can be poisonous and harm one's health, as well as deprive a person of nutrients necessary for proper growth and development.

When a material that degrades the quality of food is applied to it in order to make it more visually appealing or preserve it, it becomes harmful or has a lower nutritional value. One of the most harmful effects of food adulteration is that certain tainted foods may lead to cancer, the deadliest disease. Though, it is a malicious act but there are different types of adulteration.

There are four different types of adulteration, which are as follows:

1. Packing Hazard:

The packaging material used to package the food can contaminate the food's ingredients and cause it to deteriorate, posing a packing hazard.

2. Intentional Adulteration:

When similar-looking substances are applied to a food item in order to increase its weight or quantity in order to increase benefit. Dilatation of milk with water, addition of sand or pebbles to pulses, and so on.

3. Metallic Adulteration:

Metallic adulteration is the deliberate or unintentional introduction of metallic materials into food, such as lead or mercury.

4. Incidental Adulteration:

Incidental adulteration is described as residues of pesticides or harmful fertilizers, the presence of rodent droppings, larvae development, and other factors that occur as a result of poor food handling.

There are a few more types of adulteration in food: Food, drugs, fruits, paste, creams, well-known brand items, and so on and so forth. People who eat such adulterated food can experience stomach upset and other health problems as a result of this adulteration.

Consumers no longer care what kind of food is served to them after the introduction of the fast-food model and online ordering practices. They are completely unconcerned about their wellbeing and are only concerned about having their order delivered to their door. But one must ask what are the reasons for food adulteration? Their sole goal is to raise their profit margin and gain a large sum of money in a short period of time. 

The Food Safety and Standards Act (FSS Act) was passed in 2006, but the legislation was only notified in 2011. The FSSAI has released draught amendments to the FSS Act. The FSSAI has introduced a new section to combat food adulteration as one of the main amendments. Strict action by the government on people involved in adulteration and caution from consumers’ side can help tackle the issue of adulteration.