Food adulteration is dangerous especially since consumption of quality compromised food can have an adverse effect on consumers’ health. “There are many health risks that depend on which adulterated food product you consume,” says Rashmi Bajimaya Shrestha, dietician at KIST Hospital.[break]
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Consumption of adulterated water can cause diarrhea, typhoid and jaundice. Similarly, consumption of products well beyond their expiry date can lead to liver problems whereas harmful pesticide infested food can lead to kidney diseases and even cancers in the long run.
“But the consumption of pesticide laden food doesn’t usually have any prompt side effects. It might take years for the effect to manifest but it’s still harmful. In the long term it can weaken the digestion system and metabolism,” warns Shrestha.
According to Jiwan Prava Lama, director general at DFTQC, the department categorizes and tests food products depending on their risk factors. “We have found that there’s usually more adulteration in liquid products including milk and water, which are the most consumed products,” she says.
She informs that the Solid Not Fat (SNF) in milk should be eight percent, with three percent fat and Coliform count should be nil. “So in cases where there’s an inconsistency in the permitted levels, the product is considered to be substandard. The samples of pasteurized milk from dairy companies that have recently been banned also had higher Coliform count,” she informs.
Dietician Shrestha suggests that since milk gets contaminated easily unless maintained at optimum temperature, people should exercise extra caution especially with the current load shedding problems. The safest way is to boil milk to kill bacteria before consuming it.
She further informs that kids are more vulnerable, so consumption of adulterated food can lead to stomach problems and it can also hamper overall growth and development. Besides that, it can cause deterioration of the kidney functions.
Shrestha is of the opinion that many companies take back expired products and replace the label with an extended date and resend it to the market. “Many years back, the milk brand Lactogen which was imported from abroad, did the same. Many kids suffered from diarrhea when they consumed the date expired product,” she says.
“There’s not much awareness and also the consumers are attracted towards buying inexpensive products. The public as well as the government should take this issue seriously and do their part. The main problem is the lack of monitoring and proper follow up,” she says.
Pradeep Maharjan, chairman of Dairy Industries Association (DIA), explains that the main concern is to provide safe food products to the consumers and the recent cases of milk contamination were more related to hygiene issues. “There are instructions on the milk packets telling consumers to boil the milk before consuming it. You cannot be very sure about the quality of food products here and so every individual has to take the necessary precautions,” he claims.
But Pramod Koirala, spokesperson at DFTQC, explains that the department is using various parameters to check the quality of food products. The locally produced as well as imported products are checked at the food quarantine labs located at various places throughout the country.
The basic criteria for the imported products is to have the label in Nepali or English and in the absence of a label, such products are disposed off at the custom point itself. It’s imperative that the product should mention the industries name, address and manufacturing date as well since most of the products usually have Chinese or Arabic names.
However, it doesn’t seem enough. In the fiscal year of July 2012 to April 2013, among the 440 samples that were tested by DFTQC, 75 of them were found to be substandard. The products included packaged milk, water, noodles, biscuits and other food products.
“The main problem of adulteration is usually seen in the domestic products rather than the imported ones because we don’t have enough monitoring team all over the country,” says Koirala.
He explains that some food products may be considered substandard if they have crossed their expiry date while others due to bad hygienic conditions of the industries. Tampered packaging can also be another reason.
“But it can also be due to failure of quality maintenance or temperature maintenance in retail stores,” he says.
The Food Act 1967 has provision of slapping a fine of Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 or a penalty of six months to a year in jail for marketing substandard food products. If the food is unhygienic, the offender has to pay Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 and can be sentenced to a jail term of two years.
Koirala explains that food adulteration is triggered also due to the demand of cheap products by the consumers. “Geographical reasons, poor level of consciousness, poor legal environment, weak penalty system, less demand of quality products from the consumers and limited quality control offices have also led to food adulteration,” he explains.
The Consumers Protection Act clearly states that consumers have the right to information as well as right to quality food among a hoard of others. The law also states that the perpetrators of food adulteration have to pay a fine of 500 thousand rupees and serve a jail term of five years.
Jagannath Mishra, president of Forum for Protection of Consumer’s Right says that the issue of milk product clearly shows that there has been a violation of consumers’ rights. He talks about how a similar issue was also raised regarding Real juice, Coke, Fanta and other beverages found in the market.
Besides the issue of Coliform, he explains that the other important issue that his department has been raising is the mixture of caustic soda and urea in milk. The use of caustic soda prevents milk from getting spoiled and urea gives it a thicker consistency.
“But consuming such adulterated products can cause health problems like diarrhea, skin cancers and intestinal diseases,” he says.
But Mishra states that impunity to offenders is one of the prime reasons why issues of food adulteration keep resurfacing. “The government thinks that since farmers and businessmen are paying tax and it’s beneficial if the number of companies increase, they choose not to harass the offenders,” he says.
“Be it farmers or businessman those who have violated the law intentionally should be punished. Otherwise it’s like the consumers are paying for poison and the government doesn’t care about it,” he adds.
Recently DFTQC, Department of livestock, DIA and Nepal Municipality Association have started a new code of practice which includes proper monitoring of the condition of the factories, controlling food products at the source of production and raising awareness among the farmers as well.
The impact of adulterated food on health is alarming. And the responsibility to tackle this issue falls on the shoulders of both the public and the government.
Consumers need to be aware and vigilant and should read product labels carefully. They should inquire about any purchase they make and report to the concerned authorities, in case of any doubt. But more than that, the government should take severe actions and monitor industries and companies strictly because, unlike other issues, the health of people is at stake here.
People’s Perspective
If a person or a company has been selling adulterated products to consumers, it’s a serious issue. The accused should be punished so that the mistake is not repeated and the consumers are safe. Adulterated food can cause a great deal of harm to the consumer’s health like digestion and metabolism problems and it can even lead to various cancers in the long run. So these matters should be taken seriously. We do have a system for checks but it’s important to make that monitoring mechanism strong. We’re even planning to bring in a health inspector so that the person can analyze and examine such issues keeping the health aspect in mind. The issue here is that, we do have proper laws and acts, but the problem lies in the weak regulatory mechanism and implementation of those acts. We realize the need to address the issue urgently and are working towards it.
PRAVEEN MISHRA, secretary, Ministry of Health and Population
As a consumer, I feel cheated when I hear news about adulterated food in the market. Lately we have also heard about cases of cancers and that consumption of adulterated food for a prolonged period could be the reason behind it. After hearing the news about bacteria found in dairy products, I’ve completely stopped drinking it because I have the habit of drinking cold milk especially during summers. But milk is an essential product especially for women because the risk of developing osteoporosis is more in underdeveloped Asian countries. We also don’t have the habit of popping vitamin pills like in foreign countries and we have to get all the nutrients from food. But we often hear of adulterated fruits and vegetables found in the market. So I have doubts when I consume such food and for the amount we pay for, I think we’re being duped if we’re being sold adulterated food. This is a complete case of negligence on the part of the government as well as the suppliers. It’s a crime that affects public health and thus, shouldn’t be taken lightly. I also think that people don’t think hard and long about these issues but it’s high time that proper actions are taken.
RITA ADHIKARI, 20, student
I think one of the prime reasons of the rising cases of food adulteration is ignorance. I think individuals and companies sell contaminated or adulterated food basically for financial gain or it can be a huge case of carelessness. But whatever the reasons might be, it’s simply not tolerable. The retailers should be very careful when it comes to selling food products because they’re responsible for the lives of many. They should also be extra careful when it comes to maintaining proper hygienic conditions for the food. After all, it’s the consumers who become the ultimate victims. We know that food adulteration is common in developing and poor countries. But the government shouldn’t compromise when such issues are raised. As customers, you should also be aware about what you consume. I think we can begin by being vigilant and paying attention to what we eat. Carefully checking the label of the product that we buy, checking the expiry date as well as the examining the food are some ways by which we can keep ourselves safe.
ROZEENA SHRESTHA, 23, student
When I heard the news about some milk companies selling milk with high Coliform count, I was worried. I was slightly taken aback when the news mentioned that consumers have been instructed to boil milk for an extra ten minutes to make it fit for consumption. Instead of finding ways to work around the issue, I think the concerned people should actually take up preventive measures or ban all the companies that are selling substandard products. I think that this is basically due to a lack of proper monitoring mechanism. There are many excuses that are put up by the companies and the government and many times it just goes without being properly checked. I think that the government should take severe actions against the culprits so that adulterated product doesn’t enter the market at all. But we often see a lapse from the government side as well. So I think the best measure for now is to be aware and careful. After all, you can’t be negligent where your health is concerned.
SHEEKAT NEPAL, 35, operations manager
Due to inflation, products in the market are getting expensive day by day. But despite paying exorbitant rates, there’re times when quality is compromised. We’ve heard about products being mixed with cheap ones and fruits and vegetables being artificially grown by using harmful pesticides. But when we go to buy something in the market, we won’t be able to tell the difference between good ones and the ones that are adulterated. So we completely bank on the retailers. So, I believe, it’s solely their responsibility. Also, I think one of the reasons for this is also due to lack of awareness among the farmers. This is why they should be made aware about the health hazard that pesticides can bring about. So the only option that I see to improve this condition is by raising proper awareness and implementing all the consumers’ rights laws that have been formulated. Many times such issues are just raised and then sidelined. We need a complete follow up on this issue so that there are positive changes in the future.
MANOJ KHADKA, 24, banker
nistha.rayamajhi11@gmail.com
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