Rampant adulteration in food items continue to pose a serious threat to the consumers’ nutritional needs.
The crisis has deepened in the absence of adequate consumer awareness programmes and even legal safeguards.
The department of food technology and quality control (DFTQC) – the only state mechanism that is entrusted with the responsibility to check the menace- maintained that of the items checked by the department in the past year or so, an alarming 25 % were found to be adulterated.
Checks were conducted in markets, supermarkets and manufacturing units in the Kathmandu valley.
“Of the 1,000 samples tested, 200 were found to be adulterated,” said Pramod Koirala, senior food researcher, DFTQC.
The department’s annual progress report revealed that edible oil, processed milk and milk products topped the list, accounting for 88% and 78% of adulteration respectively.
Similarly, 50% of bottled water and soft drinks that are available in the market are of sub-standard quality. While tests conducted on samples such as ghee, mustard oil, soy-oil, sunflower oil, vegetable ghee, pickle, tomato ketchup, ice cream, orange squash, lemon squash, chilly sauce, bread biscuits, honey, instant noodles also threw up a disturbing trend. All these commodities failed to pass the quality test.
“Coliform bacteria were found in milk products and bottled water. While the oils and pickles contained high level of peroxide and preservatives like benzoic acids. No wonder many people are suffering from renal failure, heart condition and cancer. Children are particularly vulnerable since they consume ice-cream in large quantities,” said Dr Kumar Thapa, an epidemiologist.
Koirala pleaded helpless-ness at the state of affairs claiming his department was not empowered to bring the culprits to book.
Ram Chandra Simkhada, consumer lawyer and secretary of Consumer’s Right Protection Forum, advocated mass campaign of anti-adulteration and formulation of stricter laws to curb growing menace.
source: S.C Acharya, Kathmandu post, june 12, 09
