Food politics: What's on my food?

You are wandering down a busy thoroughfare, when your eyes fall upon the delectable laden trolley of a fruit vendor. Instead you know well that you are already late for home, and yet you don’t think twice about stopping near the fruit seller to buy a dozen, especially in summers. But think twice before you buy because it may be a sure-shot ticket to hospital for you and your family. There is a familiar saying –All that glitters is not gold. The same holds true for fruits and vegetables sold in Nepalese markets —all that looks green and fresh are not secure for public. Shocking cases of vegetables and fruits sold in every nook and corner of the country being injected with highly dangerous chemicals to make them look fresh, colorful and shiny have become matter of distress for us. Nowadays, the basic food issues: adulteration and artificial ripening have come to light.

Artificial Ripening:

Fruits and vegetables are highly nutritious and key food of the human. The best way to stay healthy is consuming seasonal fruits when braving scorching summer days. Fruits are a necessary part of a healthy diet as they are a great source of vitamins that are needed to maintain your body. Naturally, ripening begins with the dissipation of chlorophyll in the plant. The starches turn into natural sugars and the acids are broken down. The fruit’s hard exterior begins to get soft and the aromatic molecules begin to fill the air.  The tree’s hormones release ethylene gas which is what causes the ripening effect. In recent times, there is great concern about artificial ripening of fruits. Ripening is a process in fruits that causes them to become edible. Ripening is done through gas emission systems or ethylene generator systems, depending on quality and shelf life desired. The chemicals or agents are used to ripe fruits as early as artificially. Nowadays, several artificial ripeners are available and used such as calcium carbide, acetylene gas, carbon monoxide, potassium sulfate, ethephon, potassium dihydrogen arthoposphate, putrisein, oxytocin, photoporphyrinogen, etc. Though fruits like mango, banana naturally ripen in trees; some chemicals are used to ripen them artificially which speed up the ripening process. All the distributors and retailers use certain methods to increase their shelf life and earn more profit without thinking of effects of chemical on human health.  After countless studies, ripening agents are toxic and has been linked to a wide range of human health hazards quite often death-defying to a person's health. Chemicals used for artificial ripening of fruits can cause cancer. The IARC (International Agency for Research of Cancer) has listed a number of chemical agents that can cause cancer. Even serious health problems such as heart disease, skin disease, lung failure and kidney failure can also crop up. Scientists have also reported that regular consumption of artificial-ripened fruits may cause dizziness, weakness, skin ulcer and heart related diseases. Shocking cases of chemical injection is that cucumbers are injected to look attractive red and bigger. Thus, this practice has been going on for ages and has very pathetic and feeble upshots to public health.

Common practices of artificial ripening

• Lady’s fingers are dyed in copper sulphate to make them look greener

• Brinjals treated with condemned oil for that shiny look

• Tomatoes injected to look attractive red and bigger

• Calcium carbide and ether are used to artificially ripe Bananas

•  Most mustard oil brands contain iron beyond permissible limits.

• A host of rice varieties available in the market are artificially whitened using the toxic fertilizer

• Carrots are dipped in red water
• Bananas is ripened through scientific ways will have uniform color, good taste and longer shelf life

  Chemicals used in Artificial Ripening:

Adulteration:

What's in our food? Quite often, reading the list of ingredients or the nutrition facts label may not let know the real story. When profit in business is more important than morality, food adulteration has become rampant each and every food items such as water, milk, edible oil and ghee, substandard noodles, biscuits and soon. Food adulteration, also known as "food fraud," occurs intentionally either by the admixture or substitution of inferior substances partially or fully with something or by the removal of some valuable ingredient- without the knowledge of the consumer. Adulteration has not spared anything in our kitchen shelf. According to recent report there is various adulterated food items used in our daily diet. For instance, mixing turmeric with yellow metallic powder, chili powder is mixed with brick’s powder and talcum powder and mixing ghee and butter with vanaspati are some of the old tricks. Similarly, take a look at some sweets like jalebis and boondi—they are unnaturally yellow. Adulterated food is impure, unsafe, or unwholesome food as its consumption affects our health and in a way may be termed as a slow killer which may turn out to be worse than death. Food adulteration with poisonous chemical can cause diseases cancer like colon, peptic ulcer diseases, and chronic liver diseases including cirrhosis and liver failure, electrolyte imbalance and eventually kidney failure. Heart diseases, blood disorders and bone marrow abnormality are also detected. Chance of malignancy increases and neurological impairment or brain functions, skin problems are frequently seen including allergic manifestation. It creates health hazards and can kill human being; even then we forget everything just for business interest.

 fig. Fish dipped in formalin to keep fresh: very harmful for human health.

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fig. Some common adulteration examples and their effects on health

We are very unfortunate that we all are missing naturally ripened and fresh fruits and vegetables. The artificial ripening and adulteration has opened a new era on promoting disease. The ill practice to loot consumer in the name of fresh food items has been going on for ages. On the other side it has also cropping up various health problems and degrading human health. The best way to avoid these health problems is prevention. There are many steps we can take to ensure this.  We should create awareness in the local community on the ill effects of food adulteration so that when it happens the public knows when to seek help. The concept of green consumerism should be implemented. Thus, the concerned authority should be made responsible regarding these quality assurance.