In this modern world, certain business people are greedy enough to earn more for leading and asses a rich and posh lifestyle to which they follow an unethical and crooked method in their business, least bothering about the health and welfare of human being. The consequence of such practice is that the consumers would get dissatisfaction, loss of money and unpleasantness alone in the case of business of commercial products (other than food related products). In so far as the business relating to food products, its more sickening that the consumers, apart from losing money, looses their health at the early stage of life which hurdles to achieve their goal and ambition and such reduced life span devastated and submerged ones confidence in life. Does the responsibility of maintaining good practices in production of food products without adulteration is on the operators and the monitoring Government Agencies?

An adulteration usually refers to mixing other matters of an inferior, excessive in prescribed and sometimes harmful quality with food or drink intended to be sold and as a result of which, food or drink becomes impure and unfit for human consumption.

Normally certain entrepreneur engaged in the food related business either as manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer or vendor may adopt economically motivated adulteration in the form of adding substandard articles, excessive preservatives,

coloring agents for enhancing the quantity, taste or attraction in order to increase the consumption, sale and excessive consideration. Food adulteration with poisonous chemicals like formalin is widespread applying on fish, fruits, meat and milk that causes different types of cancers, asthma and skin diseases. Coloring agents and dyes, calcium carbide, urea, burnt engine oil and some permitted preservatives are used in excess amount that affects multiple organs of human body.

Classification of Adulteration:

The adulterants is classified as :-

• Edible adulterants :- that are substandard articles added to original for it’s enhancement of quantity and weight.
• Inedible adulterants :- that are food additive substances like artificial sweeteners and coloring agents, preservatives, flavoring agents, taste and smell enhancers etc. for enhance, maintain and improve the safety, freshness, taste, texture, or appearance.

Classification of Adulteration:

• Intentional Adulteration :- It happens in terms of economical motivation to get more profit. It is intentional by either adding substandard or chemical substances to food or altering the existing natural properties of food. Examples are sand, chalk powder, mineral oil, coal tar dyes, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, coloring agents in excess of prescribed limits etc.
• Incidental Adulteration :- It happens in unintentional due to negligence, careless, ignorance or lack of proper facilities during the period of growth, harvesting, storage, processing, packaging, transport and distribution. Examples are pesticides residues, larvae of insects etc.
• Metallic contamination :- It happens when the metallic substances are added intentionally or accidentally. Examples are arsenic, pesticides, lead from water, mercury from industrial effluents, tin from cans etc.

Reasons for Adulteration:

• Economical motivation of Food Business Operators to get high profit
• To increase the consumption by misrepresentation in the labels
• Market retention - Too many products are available in the fluctuating market, and in order to capture the market, identity, sustenance and maintaining uniqueness manufacturers adopts implements various strategies thereby they added preservatives, chemicals and coloring agents etc. in excess for getting unique taste and observance in order to fulfill the consumers psyche.
• Consumer mentality of bargaining.
• Easy availability of adulterants.
• Food insecurity - To increase quantity of food production and sale.
• Increased urbanization - To make maximum profit from food items by fewer investments.
• High population demands - Increased demand of food on a par with population and its changing trend.
• Illiteracy of general public
• Lack of government monitoring system.

Methods of Adulteration:

Most form of food adulteration in the following ways like:-

• Adding coloring agents and preservatives to foods in excess of it’s allowed limit
• pesticides and toxic contents used in excess or in contravene to prescribed in the agriculture field
• Sprinkling chemicals for artificial ripening and increase life span
• Submerging fruits and vegetables in artificial colors and chemicals for fresh look.
• Adding substandard articles to the original for enhancing the weight
• Injecting hormones and other harmful drugs in excess to cattle, poultry and tender crops for sudden growing and high yield.
• Unhygienic practices followed in production and vending premises
• Accidental amalgamation of metallic substances from industrial efflue

Most common food articles prone to Adulteration

• Milk and milk products like ice cream, butter ghee etc.
• Edible oils & fats
• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• James, jellies an dates
• Pickles and grocery items
• Cereals and pulses
• Fish and meat
• Sugar, honey, jaggery etc.
• Spices and condiments
• Mineral water, soft drinks etc.
• Bakery products, cakes, biscuits etc.
• Tea and coffee powder

Impact and Side Effects of food Adulteration:

• As most of the chemicals used for adulteration are carcinogenic substances and on long terms of intake would be caused different types of cancer like colon, lahyrism, stomach etc.
• Skin disease and asthma are the initial stages of such effects.
• Heart diseases, blood disorder, peptic ulcer diseases, chronic liver diseases including cirrhosis and liver failure, bone marrow abnormalities electrolyte imbalance and eventually kidney failure are detected in certain cases.
• Joint pains, dysentery, vomiting etc. are seen in certain initial stages.
• It also affects the quality and nutritive value of the product.
• Some adulterated foods can even lead to abortion or brain damage.

Preventive Actions:

Initiated by International Agencies

The United Nation Organization has initiated steps in 2015 by implementing the program in the name of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a universal call to action to protect

The World Health Organization (WHO) in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) which are the specialize agencies under the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations Organization, is responsible for assessing the risk to human health from food additives. The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) is an international scientific expert committee that is administered jointly by the FAO and the WHO. It has been meeting since 1956, initially to evaluate the safety of food additives. Its work now also includes the evaluation of contaminants, naturally occurring toxicants and residues of veterinary drugs in food and conducts risk assessment of food additives. To date, JECFA has evaluated more than 2600 food additives, approximately 50 contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants, and residues of approximately 75 veterinary drugs. The Committee also develops principles for the safety assessment of chemicals in food that are consistent with current thinking on risk assessment and take account of recent developments in toxicology and other relevant scientific areas such as epidemiology, biotechnology, exposure assessment, food chemistry including analytical chemistry and assessment of maximum residue limits for veterinary drugs. JECFA normally meets twice a year with individual agendas covering either (i) food additives, contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants in food or (ii) residues of veterinary drugs in food. The membership of the meetings varies accordingly, with different sets of experts being called on depending on the subject matter.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission(CAC) is an international food standards body established jointly by the Food and Agriculture organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO)in May 1963 with the objective of protecting consumer’s health and ensuring fair practices in food trade The Agreement on Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS)of the World Trade Organization (WTO) recognizes Codex standards, guidelines and recommendations as reference standards for international trade and trade dispute settlement. Currently the Codex Alimentarius Commission has 189 Codex Members made up of 188 Member Countries and 1 Member Organization (The European Union). India became the member of Codex Alimentarius in 1964.,

JECFA serves as an independent scientific expert committee which performs risk assessments and provides advice to FAO, WHO and the member countries of both organizations, as well as to the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC). The requests for scientific advice are for the main part channeled through the subsidiary bodies of the CAC in their work to develop international food standards and guidelines under the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme. The advice to CAC on food additives, contaminants and naturally occurring toxicants is normally provided to the Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA) and to the Codex Committee on Contaminants in food (CCCF), and advice on residues of veterinary drugs to the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Food (CCRVDF).

April 7th of every year is celebrated as World Health Day all over the world for achieving health of human beings and this initiative by the World Health Organization is aimed at promoting awareness, motivating, inspiring and guiding everybody and the member countries to provide adequate attention towards the most- one’s health thereby last theme released by WHO is “Universal health coverage: everyone, everywhere”. Even so many efforts are taken by international and national agencies for ensuring availability of health food, no fruitful results are yielded by our society so far.

Efforts of our Government:

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) was established by our Government under the administration of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare by enacting the provisions of the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006 and the Rules made there under for preventing food adulteration. In order to ensure the availability of good quality foodstuffs to the consumers and for keeping a check on problem of food adulteration, the State Food Safety Authorities have been advised by the said authority from time to time to keep a strict vigil by regularly drawing food samples from all sources thereby Food Safety Officers is tasked for regular surveillance, monitoring, inspection and random sampling of food products and initiation of legal proceedings against the defaulting Food Business Operators.

FSSAI has released a booklet called ‘Detect Adulteration with Rapid Test (DART)’ which covers more than 50 common quick tests for detection of food adulterants at household by the citizens themselves so as to induce awareness among the consumers about food safety. DART book is available on website of FSSAI. FSSAI has also introduced a policy for adoption of Rapid Analytical Food Testing (RAFT) Kit/Equipment/Method for regulatory purpose.

The National Codex Contact Point of India (NCCP) has been constituted by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India for keeping liaison with the Codex Alimentarius and to coordinate Codex activities in India. NCCP for India coordinates and promotes Codex activities in India in association with the National Codex Committee and facilitates India's input to the work of Codex through an established consultation process. The National Codex Committee and it’s parallel Codex Shadow Committee consists of expertise in relevant field has been constituted by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, chaired by the Chairperson, FSSAI for keeping liaison with the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

FSSAI had launched 21353 cases against defaulted perpetrators and secured 701 conviction and imposed penalties on 12,734 cases during the year 2018-19.

Apart from that, Section 272 and 273 in Chapter XIV of the Indian Penal Code deals with ‘offences affecting the public health, safety, convenience, decency, and morals’ which attracts food or drink adulteration or sale of such food or drink is an offence punishable with an imprisonment which may extend to six months or fine or both. But some states like Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal has made amendments in the provisions for enhancement of punishment with imprisonment for life along with the liability of fine.

Central Consumer Protection Authority and Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission was established by our government by enacting the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act in dealing with unfair and unethical trade practices adopted by Business Operators.

Right to healthy and unadulterated food is a Fundamental Rights of every Citizen as enshrined under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. The subject of the Prevention of Food Adulteration is in the Concurrent List of our Constitution. Hence it’s the liability and responsibility of both the Central and State Government to curb or nib in the bud such a menace of food adulteration in emergency for protecting such a rights of every citizen of India. It is also responsibility of each consumers to take care of themselves by either send the suspicious foods to lab analysis and report to the Food Safety Officers of their respective areas.

Day in and day out we are obviously read or observed about the growth of pesticides and chemical fertilizers penetrating the vegetables and fruits, the medicines are becoming life threatening due to presence of hard chemicals, bakery and junk foods are added with preservatives, artificial sweeteners, coloring and flavoring agents in excess of it’s prescribed limits.

As of flourishing rate of food adulteration reported in each and every corner of the society and the data of FSSAI have created much fearfulness about the food articles available in the market.

Efforts of Earth & Health Care Council:

One of the main object and goal of Earth & Health Care Council is to prevent food adulteration thereby to ensure good health and well-being which is one of the 17 goals of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development developed by Department of Economic and Social Affairs under United Nation Organization. In order to achieve the said goal, we have to adopt the practice of ethical in food related business, that would generate a healthy generation over world. It’s the best practice the Earth & Health Care Council intends to adopt a preventive practice rather than curative practice thereby nib the menace of food adulteration from root level instead of providing medicines and extending helpful hands for treatment to unaware peoples.

The well renowned physicians and nutritionists warned most of the inedible adulterants have carcinogenic effects which leads to cancer apart from Liver, Kidney, Stomach, Neurological disorder, ulcers, hypoxia, memory loss to human beings. The senior Nephrologist at the Maras Medical Mission said, ”the chemicals tend to affect the blood, which in turn can produce a change the organs wherever it goes”

Our organization has initiated with great exertion to tackle such a menace like developing and publishing awareness making videos, imparting the contents of DART book to general public, conducting brainstorming, collecting samples to lab analysis, and bring it to the notice of the officials concerned by addressing representation.

The menace of intentional, incidental and metallic food adulteration can be tackled by adopting a three-prong approach in joint efforts of Consumers, Food Venders and Government.

Our Project Activities and Strategies:

The government prescribed rate for testing the food samples is Rs.5000/- plus tax extra, which would not be affordable for a common layman belongs to daily wage strata towards spending such a huge amount to test the suspicious food articles.

The middle class people are spending most of their time for earning more in order to show off the need of the hour and competing to reach the next strata with upper class, thereby all have become a mute spectators to the happening in and around the society instead of visualizing about the threat to the human fraternity which we all are facing in our day to day life.

In order to fill up the lacunae and as a preventive measures, Our organization with a vision of a healthy society, the following initiatives has been floated in order to streamline the Adulteration which stares on the face of it.

Our Activities:

• Generating awareness among the public about the serious health impact of continuously taking adulterated foods.
• Make popularizing the DART book published by FSSAI among the public through phamplets, social media postures and videos etc. and motivates them to follow the techniques for the test by their own.
• Periodical samples be collected in random from the market for Laboratory Testing and Analysis and in case any adulteration is found in the testing Report, our Organization would report the same to the officials of Food Safety Department for initiating action against the sinners.
• Convene a seminar meeting in tie up with Training Partners, Trainers recognized by the FSSAI for imparting the impact of intentional adulteration to the segments of manufacturers, storage and transporters, caterings, retailers and vendors etc.
• . Motivational Award be given to the food manufacturers and vendors who are found to manufacture and sold in Good Quality of Food Products in the Market or consumers.
• The Council would form an Expert Committee to address the menace of food adulteration.

Benefits of the project:

• This Health Drive Project would divert the economic motivational mindset of food business operators when implemented in full fledged.
• It would be helpful to prevent the menace of food adulteration to a maximum extend.
• It would infuse the insight of health impact on adulteration amongst the food business operators and people.
• This project can make a way that would reach a secured healthy life to human being.

‘Take care of your Food means taking care of your Health’. Hence to save ourselves and the succeeding Generation, we should have to fight altogether consists of all consumers, manufacturers, suppliers, vendors, government institutions, sociologists collectively against these ill trends, mindset and effects of adulteration.

The implementation of this project is highly necessary and essential in the prevailing situation of rampant proliferation of food adulteration commonly seen in each and every corner of our society. The Earth & Health Care Council (EHCC) has initiated to implement the said “Health Care Drive Project” by adopting three prong approach in the form of (i) making awareness, (ii) collecting random samples for lab testing and (iii) pursuing legal action towards implementation of the Law on the subject. We have initiated in the phase of publishing awareness videos through social medias like Facebook Page and YouTube Channel in the name of “Earth & Health Care Council” and we requested your benign to subscribe the same page and channel. Also we can achieve the plan of action in full-fledge only with the support of public at large and in consonance with the same effects, we the Earth & Health Care Council invites/ welcomes you all to come forward to join and participate with us to fulfill the said goal effectively. Our Council is also expecting valuable feedback from your benign for making a scenario of unadulterated food products available in the market. Please express your valuable support and feedback by sending messages to What’s app No.+91 7868887575. For more details browse to www.ehcc.org.in