Food Adulteration Complete with Laws and Reforms in Indian context

1. Food Adulteration

2. Introduction
Food adulteration consists of a large number of practices, e.g., mixing,
substitution, concealing the quality, putting up decomposed food for sale,
misbranding or giving false labels and addition of toxicants.
The ignorance of people being not able to recognize food that is wholesome versus
adulterated has made such adulteration possible. Food adulteration can be:
 Economic adulteration implies that food is adulterated by dilution (adding
water to milk), removal (removing 11% fat from food and using 2% fat), or
using substitutes (using Equal for sugar).
 Adulteration also results from addition of foreign material to food, such as
stones in rice to compensate for weight. This addition increases the volume of
trade.
 Adulteration can also occur because of the type of package used for holding
food. Labeling should disclose the integrity of the food, and if adulterated food
is labeled as one that is not, then unaware consumers are injured or harmed by
consuming such food. Packaging and labeling are more recent developments,
and newer laws have been instituted to discourage food adulteration.

7. Notable incidents in Adulteration
 In 1987, Beech-Nut paid $2.2 million in fines for violating the Federal Food,
Drug, and Cosmetic Act by selling artificially flavoured sugar water as apple juice.
 In 1997, ConAgra Foods pled guilty to federal criminal charges that one of its
units illegally sprayed water on stored grain to increase its weight and value.
 In 2007, samples of wheat gluten mixed with melamine, presumably to produce
artificially inflated results from common tests for protein content, were
discovered in many U.S. pet food brands, as well as in human food supply.
 In 2008, significant portions of China's milk supply were found to have been
contaminated with melamine. Infant formula produced from melamine-tainted
milk killed at least six children and were believed to have harmed thousands of
others.
 In 2012, a study in India conducted by the Food Safety Standards Authority of
India (FSSAI) across 33 states found that milk in India is adulterated with
detergent, fat and even urea, as well diluted with water. Of the 1791 random
samples from 33 states, just 31.5% of the samples tested (565) conformed to the
FSSAI standards while the rest 1226 (68.4%) failed the test.

8. Melamine and Chinese Milk Supply, 2008

9. FSSAI and Milk Adulteration, 2012

19. Lathyrism
• Lathyrism or neurolathyrism is a neurological disease of humans and
domestic animals, caused by eating certain legumes of the genus Lathyrus.
• This problem is mainly associated with Lathyrus sativus (also known as
Grass pea, Kesari Dhal, Khesari Dhal or Almorta) and to a lesser degree with
Lathyrus cicera, Lathyrus ochrus and Lathyrus clymenum containing the
toxin ODAP.
• The lathyrism resulting from the ingestion of Lathyrus odoratus seeds (sweet
peas) is often referred to as odoratism or osteolathyrism, which is caused by
a different toxin (beta-aminopropionitrile) that affects the linking of
collagen, a protein of connective tissues.

20. Metanil Yellow Malachite Green
Copper Red White Soda

27. Food Policy & Food Laws
 Food policy is the area of public policy concerning how
food is produced, processed, distributed, and purchased.
It includes decision-making around production and
processing techniques, marketing, availability, utilization
and consumption of food in the interest of meeting or
furthering social objectives.
 Food laws are made to ensure that food that is produced
or marketed is unadulterated. It also establishes
guidelines on how food should be produced and
marketed. In addition, food laws outline how food
manufacturers should be prosecuted if they violate the
food laws.

28. Food Laws
Food laws in our country
The Indian Parliament has recently passed the Food Safety and
Standards Act, 2006 that overrides all other food related laws.
Such as;
Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954
Fruit Products Order,1955
Meat Food Products Order ,1973;
Vegetable Oil Products (Control) Order, 1947
Edible Oils Packaging (Regulation) Order 1988
Solvent Extracted Oil, De- Oiled Meal and Edible Flour
(Control) Order, 1967,
Milk and Milk Products Order, 1992 etc. are
repealed after commencement of FSS Act, 2006.

29. Food Laws
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
(FSSAI)
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
has been established under Food Safety and Standards Act,
2006
which consolidates various acts & orders that have
hitherto handled food related issues in various Ministries
and Departments.
FSSAI has been created for laying down science
based standards for articles of food and
to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution,
sale and import to ensure availability of safe and
wholesome food for human consumption.
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30. Food Laws
Bureau of Indian Standards
(BIS)
Main Activities
Harmonious development of standardization,
marking and quality certification
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To provide new thrust to standardization and quality
control.
To evolve a national strategy for according recognition to
standards and integrating them with growth and development
of production and exports.
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the National Standards
Body of India, resolves to be the leader in all matters
concerning Standardization, Certification and Quality.

31. Food Laws
AGMARK
AGMARK is a
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Quality Certification Mark .
It ensures quality and purity of a product.
The Directorate of Marketing and Inspection enforces the
Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marketing) Act, 1937. Under
this Act Grade standards are prescribed for agricultural and allied.
It acts as a Third Party Guarantee to Quality Certified.
Quality standards for agricultural commodities
are framed based on their intrinsic quality.
Food safety factors are being incorporated in the standards to
complete in World Trade.

33. Evolution of Food Legislation in India

34. Livestock Importation Act, 1898

35. Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954

36. Fruit Products Order, 1955

37. Meat Food Products Order, 1973

38. Milk and Milk Products Order, 1992

39. Vegetable Oil Products (Regulation) Order, 1988

40. Food Safety & Standards Act, 2006

41. Food Safety & Standards Act, 2006

42. FSSAI Structure: Single Reference Point

43. Food Categories under FSSA, 2006

44. FSSA, 2006: Highlights

45. AGMARK
 The Directorate of Marketing and Inspection enforces
the Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marketing) Act,
1937. Under this act, grade standards are prescribed for
agricultural and allied products like such as pulses,
spices, vegetable oils, wheat products, milk products,
honey, asafetida, rice, tapioca, tamarind and gram flour.
 AGMARK is acting like a third party guarantee and a
certification mark that ensures quality and purity of a
product.
 Standards are set keeping international standards in
view for obtaining WTO requirements. Certification of
agricultural commodities is carried out for the benefit of
producer/manufacturer and consumer.

46. Food Laws
Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954
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•The Act was promulgated by Parliament in 1954 to make
provision for the prevention of adulteration of food. Broadly,
the PFA Act covers food standards, general procedures for
sampling, analysis of food, powers of authorized officers,
nature of penalties and other parameters related to food.
•It deals with parameters relating to food additives,
preservative, colouring matters, packing & labelling of
foods, prohibition & regulations of sales etc. The
provisions of PFA Act and Rules are implemented by State
Government and local bodies as provided in the rules.
In every case where the milk or milk product is packed
Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 is
repealed from 05.08.2011by the Central
Government as per the Food Safety and
Standards Act,2006.