Jammu, Nov 01 (KNS): Senior functionaries of "We The Human" a public charitable trust including a number of environmentalists/ food technologists & its office bearers K Y S Manhas (Retd. Principal Secretary Law), Dr. Sadiq Nargal, S. Prem Singh, Ajay Sawhney FCA, Mohinder Kumar Bhagat, Sumil Goyal, Inder Parihar, Mohd. Afzal Baig and Verma addressed a press conference in Press Club Jammu, expressing deep concern over day by day increasing use of poisonous toxic chemicals in Food, milk and milk products by few greedy elements, especially, during on-going festive season. And, worst is the role being played by the enforcement agencies which have adopted indifferent approach and have failed to set up required infrastructural facilities & posting of requisite fully equipped enforcement staff, with food technology backgrounds, on strategic locations including borders of the state with Pakistan, Punjab & Himachal, despite regular monitoring of the J&K High Court since last few years.
Food Safety Tribunals are not fully equipped with requisite manpower despite J&K HC directives. Only recently, on 4th June 2018, the High Court directed the State Government to comply with the court directions on curbing the food adulteration menace or face appropriate orders.
The Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice M K Hanjura while hearing suo moto proceedings on food adulteration in the State directed the authorities to positively comply with the Court directions passed on February 28 or Court shall be compelled to pass appropriate orders.
“…the direction contained in paragraph No. 4 of the order dated 28.02.2018 shall also positively be complied with by or before the next date of hearing, failing which, this Court shall be constrained to pass appropriate orders against the concerned respondents”, the DB directed.
Vice Chairman of the trust, K. Y S Manhas (a retired Principal district & Session Judge) said that notwithstanding with people’s fundamental right to be free from hunger and to consume safe food, free from toxics, pesticides, other micro-biological, chemicals and physical contaminants, the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat contain residues of pesticides. Adulteration of food is caused by sand, stone, chalk powder, mineral oil, coal tar, dyes, arsenic, lead, mercury, pesticide residues, larvae in food, rampant use of formalin in fish, infection by rodents, insects in the form of excreta etc.
The poor implementation of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 and the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 that created the food regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), coupled with law enforcers (food inspectors) and deficiencies in the testing laboratories, lead to persistence of menace of food adulteration. The Legal Metrology Department has kept a criminal silence over non printing of mandatory information on sweet boxes sold by reputed big sweet vendors in Jammu, especially, viz date of manufacturing, date of expiry, composition, colours and preservatives used etc.
The such information should mandatorily be printed on all such big sweet vendors who manufacture sweets in big automated workshops. Likewise, big bakers in J&K also indulge in same practice and do not declare the required information, as if we still are living in 15th century and we are the guinea pigs or monkeys for experimentation of adulterated food.
Noted Food Technologist and Chairman Editorial Board Dr. Sadiq Nargal said that over-use of pesticides in farming, its residue in food chain, poor sanitation in food market, cold storage, adulteration of food items including soft drinks, packaging and transportation are major threats to food safety.
As a result, there are severe health hazards like rapid increase in serious diseases like cancer, ulcers, asthma etc. and deaths due to such diseases.
All these because of unsafe foods. Common adulterants are urea/detergent powder in milk, animal fat in ghee, brick powder in red chilly powder, chicory in coffee, papaya seeds in black pepper etc. used by unscrupulous traders for sheer profiteering with the connivance of greedy and corrupt law enforcers that pose health hazards to consumers. Startling revelation are made that use of chemicals in these food items has increased manifolds during the past few years.
Today, once again, we caution the law enforcing agencies to wake up from deep slumber and act against the processors, manufacturers and vendors who are selling poison to the people.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelIf the adulteration doesn’t stop, happening of cancer & serious diseases involving liver, kideny, pancreas & other vital organs in people would spread like an epidemic in coming years.
To fill the gap between the huge demand and supply, middlemen regularly add supplements to increase the thickness and viscosity of milk and preserve it for a longer while, forcing the customers to pay a higher price and risking their health.
Milk contamination, simply put can cause irreversible damage to the organs, devoiding us of the nutrients it has to offer. According to a recent advisory issued by the World Health Organisation, if adulteration isn't put to a stop, India's population would be suffering from serious and fatal diseases like cancer by the end of 2025.
This was informed by S. Prem Singh and Ajay Sawhney that use of carcinogenic chemicals like calcium carbide & Chinese sachets for artificial ripening of fruits like mangoes, papaya, bananas etc in different markets of J&K had created havoc in the state; which has stopped up to some extent due to efforts of the trust functionaries.
Use of excessive sprays of toxic chemical pesticides and colouring agents in apple orchards and agricultural fields is a matter of grave concern.
Recently, the functionries of We The Human apprised the higher authorities, who in non formal discussions accepted rampant use of poisonous sprays as coloring agent or pesticides in apple orchards. The situation is really grave.
Sooner, we may witness a cancer train leaving daily for some famous cancer institution providing free of cost treatment of cancer to poor people from J&K, as we have witnessed a train fully loaded with cancer patients & their attendants leaving daily from Bhatinda to Bikaner/ Shriganganagar where poor people get free of cost treatment for cancer in Acharya Tulsi Cancer Hospital. Already, there is a surge in number of cancer patients in J&K since during last few years.
Mohinder Kumar Bhagat and Sumil Goyal, both, were of the opinion that the government needs to adopt a strict modus operandi to check this menace. Even most of the milk which people consume in our state is not safe.
The use of chemicals in the milk products has set the alarm bells ringing. People are unaware about the fact that the packed foods and milk products being sold in the open market are not that safe. Adulteration may be intentional or unintentional.
The former is a wilful act on the part of adulterator who intended to increase the margin of profit. On the other hand, adulteration may be incidental contamination, which is usually due to ignorance, negligence or lack of proper facilities.
This is true that, adulteration primarily thrives in a period of shortages and festive seasons. The consumer’s real income is falling due to rising prices of even essential commodities. Psychologically, consumers pay less attention to the quality of products during this period. He/she is facing disadvantages in the form of adulteration.
It was vehemently impressed upon, by all the speakers, in the press conference that government agencies which are entrusted with the job of keeping a check on the adulteration seem to be in a slumber.
These agencies need to put their act together and take the cognizance of the complaints about food items posing threat to the lives of people. They should make people aware about the food products which are unsafe. And the people at the helm should take a stern action against the culprits who for the sake of petty gains are playing a dangerous game.
The enforcement agencies including J&K Food Safety Organization, CAPD, Health Officer JMC and Legal Metrology departments should be in swift action today and should made daily raids publicised along with names of defaulters, results of daily samples lifted, action taken including filing of challans and prosecution in all cases should be made public through website and newspapers.
We also appeal the Divisional Commissioner Jammu to form special squads of food technologists, who may be temporarily borrowed from among PHD Food Technology scholars of JU, SKUAST and CU under the leadership of Tehsildars to keep a special check over quality, information about composition etc in all milk and milk products including sweet vendors shops.
These teams will be monitored daily by the respective Deputy Commissioners on daily basis, who should be made to submit daily report of all Tehsildar under their jurisdiction to the Divisional Commissioner. (KNS)