Oil adulteration: Tamil Nadu govt. raises legal point

Oil adulteration: Tamil Nadu govt. raises legal point

Subject :Polity

Section: Legislation in news

Context:

A Division Bench of the Supreme Court, has granted a special leave to the State of Tamil Nadu (petitioner) to appeal against a judgment and orders of Madras High Court holding that a sale of adulterated gingelly oil by a retail  trader did not amount to an offence under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act because there was a notice board put up in the shop that the oil was not fit for human consumption.

About Food Adulteration

• Adulterant means any material which is or could be employed for making the food unsafe or substandard or misbranded or containing extraneous matter. Adulterated food is dangerous because it may be toxic and can affect health and it could deprive nutrients essential for proper growth and development.

Risks of Adulterated Food

• Some companies adulterate food as a consequence of intentional actions, often designed to increase profitability or cut corners. Others end up adulterating food unintentionally because of lax standards and regulations. Either way, adulterated food costs the Indian economy around 1.17 lakh crore in 2017-18 and comes with some significant risks for human consumption:
• Food Impurity – First, food may end up being “impure” or may contain ingredients it wasn’t intended to contain. This could be anything from residue of pesticides to metal or glass, or even a completely different substance.
• Contamination – Adulterated food may have a higher likelihood of becoming contaminated at a later date, such as decomposing or becoming infected with bacteria.
• Allergens –Mislabeled or misrepresented products may contain allergens that consumers aren’t aware of. If the wrong person consumes one of these products, they may suffer a severe allergic reaction.
• Nutritional Needs – Adulterated food may also lead people to believe they’re getting nutritional needs when they aren’t. This is especially important for infants, children, and adolescents, who need adequate intake and sufficient vitamins and minerals for healthy growth.

Effects of Food Adulteration

• Increases the Impurity in Food: Food adulteration increases the impurity in the foods items thus making it imperfect to consume. Consumption of adulterated food for long will have both short term and long term impact on our health. Impure food is unsafe to consume so it is better to produce stuff as far as possible or to get stuff from organic centers or directly from the farmers.
• Lack of Nutritional Value: Adulterated food is of low quality and has no or very less nutritional values. Also, certain adulterated food has a different taste too. By purchasing and consuming adulterated food, we are compromising on our health and taste.
• Leads to Various Diseases: Due to the consumption of adulterated food, we can get various chronic diseases like liver disorder, diarrhoea, stomach disorder, lahyrism cancer, vomiting, dysentery, cancer, joint pain, heart diseases, food poisoning, etc. The minerals, chemicals, and poor quality substances added to the food are responsible for these health conditions which we might have to undergo in future. Some adulterated foods can even lead to abortion or a brain damage. Young children consuming adulterated food for long will have issues in conceiving.
• Currently, India not only has one of the highest rates of out-of-pocket expenditure for health expenses but also one of the highest levels of people susceptible to a debilitating health crisis.

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.