DIGITAL ASSIGNMENT 5 Technical Answers for Real
World Problems (TARP)
MEEE 3999
Submitted to - Prof. Dr. YAGNA S MUKKAMALA
Submitted by: -
ADAM ISMAIL
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Topic
Food contamination problem in India and suggest measures to alleviate the
same. Present your report schematically, analytically, factually and
quantitatively. Prepare a brief report with at least 25 references spanning
the globe suggesting solutions to alleviate this problem.
Abstract
Generally, in our country "India", adulteration and contamination can be
found in food consumed right from the household level, in the foodservice
companies and many business firms, and can also be found when sold as
street foods. Harmful colours are the most common and dangerous
additives in our foods.
Contamination caused by mycotoxins, metals and pesticides in daily foods
and liquids such as milk has been found extremely toxic and carcinogenic,
as per reports about 70 per cent of deaths in India have a food-borne origin
somehow. In this report, food safety measures are explained with the motto
of preventing health hazards and improving the regulatory system in India.
Prevention of food adulteration and contamination is possible if people are
aware of the health hazards of contaminated food. If only food inspectors
are strict and active, we can minimize the risk of food toxicity at every level
of food supply and consumption.
Furthermore, easy measures can further prevent complications, specifically
those which are caused by microbiological contaminants. Dangerous
diseases, as well as health hazards in India, can be eradicated and Indians
can live with good health by following these measures. Indians who are
aware of food adulteration and contamination must arrange campaigns
with the help of local bodies and thus, safe food will be the goal for all who
are concerned.
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Introduction
Food ought to be without or just with satisfactory and safe degrees of
adulterants, contaminants or whatever other substances that may make
food dangerous to wellbeing.
Additionally, such food can deny supplements
fundamental for legitimate body development and advancement. In this
manner, wellbeing risks identified with nourishments and food items are
viewed as a significant issue especially in creating and less-developed
nations. In India, sanitation is a developing issue with widespread cases of
debasement and defilement of fundamental nourishments that can be a
possible wellspring of illness contamination or poisonous harming.
Food deterioration happens for the most part during taking care of from the
essential makers to the purchasers (for example food creation, preparing,
bundling, dissemination, stockpiling, cooking or serving). Adulterants (non-
nutritious substances) are purposefully/intentionally included or
inadvertently go into food. Thus, nearness of destructive synthetic
compounds or microorganisms including those unaffected by warm
handling is normal.
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Mycotoxins, for example, aflatoxins, ochratoxins, fumonisins, zearalenone,
patulin, and trichothecenes created by moulds are found in food supply
chain.
At people group level, genuine flare-ups of food-borne illnesses have been
accounted for occasionally. Be that as it may, buyers don't have
information/data most likely in light of the fact that effect of the defilement
on human wellbeing is clear simply after drawn-out presentation.
At national level, globalization in food exchange has been presented as it
offers numerous advantages to customers by the method of availability,
moderateness and wellbeing of an assortment of top-notch nourishments.
Subsequently, food send out has expanded as of late yet represents certain
difficulties concerning food harmfulness since the incorporation of the
privatization and advancement in the Indian exchange has changed the
example of food creation and utilization.
Thinking about current circumstance of food poisonousness and harming
because of the utilization of defiled or polluted food and food items, I have
arranged data and have recommended certain useful preventive estimates
that can be received by shoppers even in under-developed nations.
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Occurrence of food adulteration and contamination in India
Use of pesticides
Researchers says that pesticide use and management in India is majorly
unregulated and thus the food contaminated with pesticide residues is
often frequently used by the Indian consumers.
Pesticides that are connected to long-term health effects such as
endocrine disruption, birth defects in new born and several types of cancer.
Apart from raw agriculture products, harmful pesticides have been found in
packaged food products which are consumed daily such as cold drinks,
bottled RO water in India. In India, illegal pesticides are being used without
any surveillance and without maximum limits set on their usage. The usage
is majorly influenced by marketing strategy of industry so that cheap
products can be made.
Use of antibiotics
Unpredictable utilization of antibiotics for non-remedial reasons, for
example, development advancement and mass ailment counteraction is a
typical practice in serious industrialized homestead settings in the nation.
The two deposits of antibiotics and safe microorganisms can get moved to
people through sullied food.
The issue of medication obstruction connected with this training, further
makes the food-borne ailment hard to treat. Most microscopic organisms
that cause food-borne diseases, for example, E coli, salmonella and
campylobacter are as of now saw as multi-sedate safe in the nation.
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Street food and packaged food contamination
While microbiological defilement of road food is a worry, its most normal
substitution is prepared and bundled food which is loaded down with
compound added substances. Long haul dangers of a significant number of
these are not known. Other than synthetic added substances, ultra-
prepared low-quality nourishments are known to be high in salt, sugar and
fats including trans-fats. Considering their built-up linkages with non-
transmittable maladies, for example, diabetes, stoutness and coronary
illness, it would be more than fitting to consider these nourishments as risky
as well.
Adulteration
Minimising adulteration is a huge challenge but is of critical importance. An
example is, milk in recent years has been found to be adulterated in most
states with water as well as chemical detergents. The water could have been
contaminated with bacteria or virus and detergents are toxic to human
body.
The challenges are very huge in India, as most people are undernourished
as well as uneducated about the very concept of food safety
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Food production and processing
Foods, such as fruits and vegetables, may be contaminated if washed or
irrigated with water that is contaminated with pathogens from animal or
human faeces. Animals naturally harbour many food-borne bacteria in their
intestines that can cause illness in humans, but often do not cause illness in
the animals.
During slaughter, meat and poultry carcasses can become contaminated if
they are exposed to small amounts of intestinal contents.
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Contamination of food during preparation and handling
• Infected individuals –
Mostly food-borne pathogens are in the faeces of
infected people and these pathogens may be transferred to healthy person
through food via the faecal-oral route. Bacteria present in infected lesions
and normal nasal flora may also be transmitted from an infected food-
handler to ready-to-eat foods.
• Cross-contamination –
Pathogens naturally present in one food may be
transferred to other foods during food preparation if same cooking
equipment and utensils are used without washing and disinfecting in
between, especially in case of ready-to-eat foods.
• Inadequate cooking temperature –
With insufficient cooking bacteria can
multiply and produce toxins within the food. Many bacterial toxins are heat
stable and may not be destroyed by cooking.
Improper storage
Food being held or stored at warm (10-50ºC) temperature allows
multiplication of pathogens and is an important cause of food-borne
outbreaks.
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Important Statistics from research data
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Measures to alleviate food contamination in India
For producers and manufacturers
At production level, for avoiding food contamination of agricultural
produce, before and after harvest and during the further process, there is
need for a change by adopting Good agricultural practices (GAP) including
integrated pest management. Over and indiscriminate doses of synthetic
fertilizers and pesticides should be replaced by need-based applications of
safe and recommended pesticides and in limited quantities and should be
regulated on a daily basis.
Defilement brought about by Aspergillus flavus in nut-based items can be
constrained by Trichoderma spp. which are strong foes delivering
unpredictable and diffusible anti-infection agents (Srilakshmi et al., 2011).
Other successful ecofriendly gauges incorporate splashing with a blend of
water extricate (5%) of pongam (Pongamia pinnata bark or tamarind
(Tamarindus indica) natural product (Chandra et al., 2007).
Seriousness of parasitic disease can likewise be brought down by splashing
water extricate (5%) of leaves of neem, henna (Lawsonia inermis), or
turmeric (Curcuma longa) powder (Bansal and Sobit, 1990).
In assembling businesses, wearing of individual defensive garments, gloves
and washing of entire body subsequent to working hours is the best
functional solution to maintain a strategic distance from contact with
synthetic compounds. In addition, the safe period prescribed before crop
gather is to be regarded thoroughly and the recommended standards
including counteractants and preventive measures must be followed
(Gahukar, 1999).
In modern zones, dumping of toxic effluents should be kept away from.
Other preventive measures remember exacting control for different
wellsprings of sullying, normal follow up by experts for suggested food
guidelines and marking.
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For consumers
It is smarter to check the nature of food grains at the hour of procurement
and just marked and ISI stamped items ought to be liked. One should dismiss
falsely hued rice, beats, desserts, flavours, lousy nourishment, corrupted
milk or oil.
The organic products which are only marginally under-ready and not over-
ready ought to be bought to stun the readiness. At home, entire grains (oats
and heartbeats), flavours and toppings can be sifted through physically from
admixture.
Something else, grains can be sieved and unfamiliar materials including
sand, rocks or earth particles can be effectively disposed of. Actually, this is
a deep-rooted family unit practice followed by country individuals in India.
On account of natural products, stripping can expel wax covering containing
poisonous material.
Purchasers and social associations ought to send tests of vegetables, natural
products, food grains and so on to nearby testing labs and cabin the
grievance with the neighbourhood region or common specialists. The
activity taken against defaulters would incite others to battle against
defilement and sullying.
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In ancestral regions, food gave in school and school flasks by the All India
Food Processors Association and different offices were not up to norm and
were regularly dismissed by kids. In such cases, the shopper training
programs assume a significant job in conferring information on the buy and
utilization of safe nourishment.
In like manner, solid authorization
components, the adequacy of common society gatherings and close contact
among neighbourhood and state bodies can encourage the follow-up of the
uniform usage of the food laws. For this, dynamic purchaser development
at the national level especially by senior residents, women clubs and NGOs
can bring about some advancement.
Preventative measures to control food contamination in India
There is enactment set up to manage the degrees of a few synthetic
compounds in the food. Unfortunate added substances and adulterants are
lawfully not taking into consideration use. Be that as it may, successful
observation and reaction frameworks are required to keep concoction risks
from entering the food gracefully and presenting mischief to the general
population. Above all, the food ventures must acknowledge they should be
more genuine and forthright in delivering safe business food items just as
shielding the general population from food tainting.
Recent Government Initiatives on Food Safety
In India effective food control system is undermined by plethora of
fragmented legislation, multiple jurisdictions and weakness in surveillance,
monitoring and enforcement, which neither assures safety, hygiene or
quality.
Food defilement can be forestalled by appropriately examining the crude
materials and food fixings, following Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP,
for example, the expulsion of gems, and so on while managing food things,
dispensing with possible wellsprings of food contaminants, rehearsing
sterile standards of individual cleanliness, exhaustive washing of crude
materials, and so on. Tests, for example, mass spectrometry could be
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utilized for distinguishing nearness of synthetic contaminants, plating
should be possible to recognize explicit microbial sullying, ELISA examines
test, sensors, and so forth. India's Food Safety and Standards Authority of
India (FSSAI), a body framed under the Food Safety and Standards act, is
attempting to reinforce the capacity of controllers and the legislature to
deal with food pollution occurrences.
Related Laws in India
In India, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is completely responsible
for providing safe food to the citizens. Further, along with ministry, other
laws are also taking care of food adulteration in India. These are given
below:
The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954
It has laid down guidelines to provide pure and wholesome foods to
consumers. The Act was last amended in 1986 to make punishments more
stringent and to empower consumers further.
Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act
The Food Safety and Standard Act passed by the parliament in 2006 but the
regulations were notified only in 2011. It repealed the previous law. Among
the key amendments, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
(FSSAI) has proposed to include a new section to crack down on food
adulteration.
Further, FSSAI has recommended stringent punishment of life
imprisonment and penalty of up to Rs 10 lakh to curb food adulteration
following the Supreme Court order.
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Establishment of infrastructure for safety assessment & testing of
genetically engineered (GE) foods
A few significant sanitation issues related to hereditarily built (GE) crops
that were applicable to the Indian setting were recognized which assumed
a significant job in creating conventions for pre-showcase wellbeing
appraisal of GE crops. In light of these conventions, security appraisal rules
were brought out by the ICMR for GE crops that would be advertised in
India. The Institute turned into the primary open division lab to have a
fundamental foundation for sanitation appraisal of new innovations for
food creation essentially GE nourishments based on global guidelines.
Through this office, the poisonousness and allergenicity dangers of different
hereditarily changed yields are assessed as a major aspect of their pre-
showcase sanitation endorsement by the administrative specialists.
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Food Laws and regulation in India
The Indian Parliament has recently passed the Food Safety and Standards
Act, 2006 that overrides all other food related laws. Such as;
o Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954
o Fruit Products Order,1955
o Meat Food Products Order ,1973
o Vegetable Oil Products (Control) Order, 1947
o Edible Oils Packaging (Regulation) Order 1988
o Solvent Extracted Oil, De- Oiled Meal and Edible Flour (Control) Order,
1967,
o Milk and Milk Products Order, 1992 etc are repealed after
commencement of FSS Act, 2006.
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Conclusion and Suggestions
An assortment of food poisons, contaminants and adulterants that have
been seen as answerable for a few foodborne infection flare-ups and issues
of sick wellbeing in people and creatures have increased wide universal
acknowledgement.
The work achieved by the NIN over a 100 years’ time frame should be seen
from the point of view of different difficulties in the food framework in India
that have a significant effect on sanitation.
Right now, these difficulties are achieving another measurement with the
presentation of worldwide sanitation affirmation approaches through
hazard the executives of food handling dangers in the entire natural way of
life from creation to utilization.
A hazard the executive's system adopting an entirely natural way of life
strategy for tending to different sanitation dangers/issues with archived
strategies and methodology should be developed to distinguish and
organize sanitation issues.
There is a pressing need in India to comprehend sanitation dangers to
buyers and hazard-based methodologies are required for different
exercises identified with sanitation issues of national significance
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