Food adulteration must be addressed as a public health issue, not a political tool

Tirupati Laddu row sparked accusations and counter accusations between the current Andhra Pradesh state government and its predecessor.

(Sanghnomics is a weekly column that tracks down and demystifies the economic world view of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and organisations inspired by its ideology.)

Three important incidents have happened over the last few days that should have brought the issue of food adulteration at the centrestage of our public discourse. However, due to a segment of political parties, the real issue has been overshadowed by political positions taken for optics.

First, there was the Tirupati Laddu controversy, where samples of Prasadam were found to be adulterated. Then, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath issued directives requiring all food vendors in his state to display their names, install CCTV cameras, and ensure that their staff use masks and gloves. The Himachal Pradesh government also announced a similar decision but retreated within 48 hours.

Communalising of public health issue  

Certain political parties in India have been trying to communalise this important public health issue of food adulteration by trying to create a bogey of fear psychosis as if the UP government’s new order is directed to target people of only one specific religion. That seems to have triggered the retraction of this step by the Himachal Pradesh government.

When the names of food vendors would be displayed, according to the Uttar Pradesh government’s new directives, that would cover people from all religions. In the past also the UP government tried to bring a similar rule but there was a political furore over it. An impression was given by the Opposition that the step was aimed to target Muslims. Interestingly, we haven’t seen any adverse response to such steps by Jains, Buddhists, Sikhs and Christians. Only leaders and certain members of the Muslim community and politicians who profess to be their ‘protectors’ have been raising objections.

The Tirupati Laddu row sparked accusations and counter accusations between the current Andhra Pradesh state government and its predecessor thus turning this sensitive issue, which deeply hurt the Hindus, into a political slugfest.

The problem is that this kind of ‘politicisation’ and ‘communalising’ has pushed the real issue—tackling food adulteration in India—onto the back burner, which affects almost every household.

Food Adulteration: A ticking bomb   

According to data sourced from FSSAI annual reports, the food adulteration rate in India almost doubled between 2011-12 to 2016-17. Food adulteration rate in India stood at 13% in 2011-12 which increased to 23% in 2016-17, says a research paper titled ‘Food Adulteration in Contemporary India: Emerging Trends and Remedies’ published in 2020.

 In a reply to a parliamentary question in 2021, the Central government informed that in 2019-20,  the government labs analysed 1,18,775 samples, out of which 29,192 samples were found ‘non-conforming’ resulting in the launch of 27412 cases. The number of food samples which failed constitute almost 25 per cent of the total samples collected which is alarming.

Street Food: Public Health Risk

It is important to note that the immediate trigger for the UP-government’s decision was the shocking images which were shared across social media about street vendors or food shop owners spitting in Chapatis or adding urine to fruit juice etc. Inquiries have been made and cases have been registered against the culprits.  The directive of the UP government would go a long way in regulating the street food vendors also which constitute a major chunk of the food industry in India.

According to a Confederation of Indian Industry report (CII) report,  Street foods play an important socio-economic role in meeting food and nutritional requirements of city consumers in the lower and middle-income groups at affordable prices. They are also appreciated for their unique flavours, tastes, and convenience. Street foods also assure food security for the low-income urban population and livelihood for a significant proportion of the people. They are also important in contributing to the nutritional status of the population.

In contrast to these potential benefits, it is also recognised that street food vendors are often poor, less educated, and lack knowledge in safe food handling, environment, sanitation and hygiene, mode of food display, foodservice, and handwashing, sources of raw materials, and use of potable water, says this report.  Consequently, street foods are perceived to be a major public health risk.

According to India's Ministry of Urban Poverty Alleviation, there are over 100 lakh street vendors in the country, roughly 20 lakh of them food sellers.

The CII report highlights that the traditional processing methods used in the preparation of street foods, inappropriate holding temperature, and poor personal hygiene of food handlers are some of the main causes of contamination of street foods. Also, the foods are not effectively protected from flies and dust. For the sake of public health, it is important to understand the epidemiology of foodborne illnesses. This will help in prevention and control efforts, appropriate allocation of resources to control foodborne illness, monitoring and evaluating food safety measures, development of new food safety standards, and assessment of the cost-effectiveness of interventions.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, the issue of food adulteration is one of the most significant issues in public health that has been neglected so far. The recent directive by the UP government is a step in the right direction. The opposition or certain community leaders should not trivialise it by politicising and communalising such steps by any government. The next step should be to have a national policy to tackle food adulteration with all political parties and state governments as stakeholders. Given the divide across the political spectrum, it seems a challenging task but it isn’t impossible.

Earlier Sanghnomics columns can be read here.