Beware of What You Eat… A Look at Food Adulteration
The food we eat should be free from any contamination and should be less chemically prepared. The more chemically synthesized food we consume, the more food we consume full of Food Adulteration, the more we are likely to fall sick, and in rare cases, it can be very risky. So, better we not risk our life and should be aware of the food we eat. These days, the food we consume is mostly packed and chemically synthesized. In this case, the safety concern becomes a major question. No matter the food is costly or cheap, the quality shouldn’t be compromised in any situation, after all, it’s about your health, and it’s about your life.
What Is Food Adulteration?
According to encyclopedia.com, adulteration of food is defined as,
“Adulteration is a legal term meaning that a food product fails to meet the federal or state standards. Adulteration usually refers to noncompliance with health or safety standards as determined, in the United States, by the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).”
According to the FD&C (Food, Drug, and Cosmetic) Act 2888, the food is considered to be adulterated if it is
- Found to be containing health injurious substance (maybe poisonous or maybe deleterious)
- Found to be containing any externally added deleterious/poisonous substances which are unsafe for the health (including other than food additives, animal drug, pesticide residues, etc.)
- If the food contains any food additives which are harmful to health.
- If the food contains any color additives which are harmful to health.
- If the food is stored, packaged, and prepared in unsanitary conditions (where the food can come in contact with rodents, insects, bird infestation, or any other infection), this can be a potential cause of food contamination.
- If the food container contains any element/substance which is unsafe and poisonous for health.
In most of the cases, adulterant is similar to the food is it mixed with, so it is not that much possible to identify the food from its adulterant. A food that is mixed with such the above-mentioned substances is known as adulterated food. Adulterated food is unsafe, injurious, and impure. This can even lead to complicated medical conditions and in cases may even lead to death. So it is highly recommended to take care of what we eat.
The food is adulterated or an adulterant is added to a particular food in order to increase the quantity of the food for more profit. Frederick Accum was the first one to investigate the adulterant in the foods. This German chemist found several toxic metal coloring substances in the food and beverages. According to a report, in 2012, a study in India across 29 states and the union territories found that the milk was adulterated with detergent, fat and also urea. The milk was further diluted with water. Only 31.5% of the total samples conformed to FSSAI standards. (Sinha, Kounteya (10 January 2012). “70%of milk in Delhi, the country is adulterated” Times of India. Retrieved 23 February 2014.)
The increasing amount of food adulteration these days is a challenging problem. Food is the basic requirement of life and everyone needs safe, healthy, and nutritious food to survive. Adulterated food can lead to diseases and other problems and thus is a threat. It is important to check the food adulteration in the food so that we can find out what’s in the food we eat.
Know more about food adulterants
