BY V.S.R. Srikanth
Adulteration is defined as mixing of foreign articles with the food items or mixing low cost food materials with high priced food ingredients. Although adulteration enhances the earnings standard of shopkeepers and wholesalers, on the other hand it diminishes the health standards of the citizens. In order to curb this menace of adulteration, central legislature passed the PFA Act, (Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954) and it came into operation in 1955,applicable to the whole India.
The prime object and the purpose of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 is to eliminate the danger to human lives from the unscrupulous sale of unwholesome articles of food. The offence of food adulteration is a socio- economic offence.
Since the very inception of this Act and Rules into the statute books to achieve a laudable appreciation from the side of great public, this PFA Act is working immensely to penalise the offenders. The PFA Act promotes public health by safeguarding the same from ruthless adulterations. Apart from the PFA Act 1954, there is the Consumer Protection Act in aid of victims of adulteration, though which the victims can seek compensation by approaching Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, and the State Government.
So far as offence under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act is concerned even a slight, negligible or marginal variation of food standards is not excusable. The standards fixed under the PFA Act is one that is certain. If it is varied to any extent, the certainty of a general standard would be replaced by the items of fluctuating standard. The disadvantages of this are
Even a slight, negligible or marginal variation of food standards is not excusable.
Unpredictable and uncertain.
Agmark (Agricultural Marketing) is a center which confirms the quality of food products. There are 157 or more food items which are sealed after their quality is confirmed by Agmark. Due to utter poverty and lack of knowledge, village people are more prone to this adulteration.
Here are some tests laid down which can be done by anyone to assess the quality of food items. Adulterators normally accomplish the process of adulteration with two types of adulterants, namely causative adulterants and less expansive adulterants.
The food adulterants enumerated in table (1) & (2) are causative adulterants which can cause harm to the human systems. Normally the perpetrators of this offence of adulteration mix small stones, dust particles, nails and foreign bodies into the food items. This can be cured by thorough washing, sieving and proper drying.
Besides these, there are some other food items which are not causative, but of poor quality. In order to earn profits adulterators mixed two different, i.e low and high quality, products to sell them as high quality products.
The PFA Act is generally administered by local bodies and the food inspectors are appointed by these local bodies. The appointment of a food inspector is generally made by the State Government on the recommendation of the local bodies.They will be duly trained for 90 working days as laid down in Rule 8 of the PFA Act Rules, 1955. The duties of the food inspectors are to collect the food samples from the suspected vendors and shopkeepers, wholesalers, and if these collected samples, after chemical and biological analysis, are found inadequate for human consumption, the food inspectors will initiate prosecution under the PFA Act, 1954.
The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 penalises the offenders both pecuniary and sentences (imprisonments).
CAUSATIVE ADULTERANTS
TABLE-1
| FOOD ITEM | ADULTERANT | TESTS |
| Rice, wheat, maize | Stones, husk | Can be identified by visibility test. |
| Wheat flour | Chalk powder, white grit | When treated with Col4 adulterants settle at the bottom. |
| Semolina | Chalk powder, white grit | When treated with Col4 adulterants settle at the bottom. |
| Turmeric powder | Dy-Metanil yellow | Dilute it with water and add a few drops of HCL. Adulteration can be ascertained if the solution changes into Magenta colour. |
| Chilli powder and coriander powder | (1) Brick powder (2) Metanil yellow | Treat with water and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Brick powder settles at the bottom. Treat with HCL. Magenta colour proves adulteration. |
| Pepper | Papaya seeds | Make a solution of water and ethanol in 1:1 ratio. Stir the solution and add the seeds. Papaya seeds will float and pepper seeds will sink. |
| Coffee powder | Starch, roasted bread powdered cow dung cake. | Prepare a decoction of coffee. Decolorise it by adding few drops of potassium permanganate, add a few drops of iodine solution. Development of blue colour indicates impurities. |
| Honey | Jaggery syrup | Mix one spoon of honey with boiling water. Pure Honey won’t dissolve in water, whereas syrup will. |
TABLE-2
| FOOD ITEM | ADULTERANT | CAUSE OF ADULTERATION | TESTS |
| Rice & other cereals | Stones, nails, iron particles, broken rice and paddy | Diarrhoea, stomach pain | Washing and sieving |
| Red gram dal | Kesari dal | Lathyrism, dysfunctioning of legs and hands. | Kesari dal is orange in colour and different in size. Hence can be separated by hand. |
| Chilli powder | Brick powder | Headache, vomiting and digestive problems | Mix one spoon of chilli powder in water. Original will form a solution, adulterated will show sedimentation. |
| Turmeric powder | Lead chlorate and yellow coloured powder. | Itching in the mouth and stomach leading to ulcer. | Original is smooth yellow. Adulterated will be thick or deep yellow with crystals. Mixing with water shows the colour difference. |
| Poppy seeds | Semolina, white stones and dust. | Stomach problems with anorexia. | Poppy seeds are pale white and curved. Semolina particles are cut out particles and bright white in colour. |
| Coffee | Tamarind seed powder, more chicory, bran powder. | Digestive disorder, headache, vomiting, weakening of nerves. | Can be tested by tasting and flavouring the powder. |
| Tea | Other leaves and stems | Intestinal disorder. | Observe colour and flavour. |
POOR QUALITY ADULTERANTS
TABLE-3
| FOOD ITEM | ADULTERANT | QUALITY ATTRIBUTES | TESTS |
| Sugar | Semolina | Taste will be less than pure sugar. | Mix a tea spoon of sugar with water. Pure sugar dissolves whereas semolina settles down. |
| Butter | Water, Dalda, Maida | Butter will be softer than maida, it smells better also. | Pure butter will be white, soft and smooth; if adulterated with water it makes sound when melting on pan. If maida is present bottom of the pan will charred after melting. |
| Ghee | Other edible oils. | Pure ghee will have good smell and is insoluble at ordinary temperature. | Visibility test is the only test. Ghee is denser than other oils and is cream in colour. At ordinary temperature it is solid and when mixed, semi-solid. |
| Maida | Tapioca flour | Maida is refined wheat flour and elastic while kneading | If elasticity is less, it is adulterated. |