Health Dept should keep check on adulteration

A drive against food adulteration should be made effective. It is a responsibility of the Health Department  to make any drive a successful related to food safety . The officials of the Health Department must maintain the quality of food being sold, collect more number of food samples such as milk, milk products, bakery products, salt, spices, fruits, meat and meat products. Hotels, restaurants, dhabas, tuck shops in schools, sweets shops, butcher shops and bakery manufacturing units should be checked. Under such drives defaulters must be punished as per law. The local police and civil administration must also participate in making the drive successful. They must assist the departments concerned in this drive. The sale of cut-fruits must not be allowed in streets, inside and outside the schools unless it is being done under hygienic conditions. The department must also arrange awareness programmes and educate general public regarding purity and safety norms about food. 

Dr G Dev

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Tandarust Punjab Mission should continue

Today, adulteration has become a serious problem. Whatever is being served to us is not pure. This adulteration leads to various kinds of diseases. Majority of vegetables, fruits, milk and milk products in market are impure. More than 80 per cent cut food items are ripened artificially with the use of chemicals, calcium carbide and even use of ethylene gas. Recently, the state government has started a drive to check adulteration in eatables under ‘Tandarust Punjab Mission’ and found that majority of items are being prepared with the use of chemicals. Nowadays, the Health Department has become active and has been conducting regular raids. Several samples have also been collected throughout the district and many of these have been failed. This step of the state government has also received appreciation from public and it should be continued.

Kuldip Singh Kreer

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Appoint special officers to check adulteration

Food is an important part of our life. A balanced and healthy diet can keep a human body away from diseases. The MC and the local Health Department government should check the supplies of chicken and fruits. Officials of the Health Department must keep an eye on the manufacturing of sweet shops and factories. A special officer should be appointed for every major area for inspections every week. Street food vendors should be given cards on which the inspection status should be marked every week. E-challaning for defaulters should come into force. Efforts should be made to develop facilities for the testing of sweets samples locally instead of sending elsewhere. We also should be aware before buying any product and read its manufacturing and expiry date.

Dr Jasdeep Kaur

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Health Dept should impose heavy fines 

A long quest of earning money by adopting shortcut methods has made us inhumane.  Nowadays, business men have started earning huge profits by adulterating food items. Samples of food items which are being sold by shopkeepers should be collected and if any shopkeeper found to be selling adulterated food then he/she should be held responsible.  The Health Department should levy heavy fines to sellers. Apart from this, workers at manufacturing units should also be told about the importance of hygiene. Similarly, before buying any eatable item, one should check its manufacturing date. However, this does not prevent adulteration but it keeps a person healthy. Knowledge of used ingredients is also important before using any packed eatable item.

Dr Mohd Saleem

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Consumers, sellers and govt need to work jointly

The menace of food adulteration is a burning issue these days. The culprits are least bothered about laws. This problem can only be solved through joint efforts of consumers, producers and the government. The first and the foremost is the consumer who needs to be aware about adulteration. Just to save money, majority of consumers are ready to buy third grade food products. The consumers should not compromise on this issue at all. Similarly, producers need to realise their moral duty. It is their duty to supply quality food products to the consumers. The final authority is with the government. It should never ignore such malpractices. There should be zero tolerance for such activities. No political motivated action should be taken against honest officers who take action against adulteration. 

Bir Devinder Singh Bedi

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Strict enactment of laws necessary 

The malpractice of adulterating food items intentionally is continuing throughout the country. As a result of such types of malpractice, the ultimate victim becomes a consumer, who innocently consumes adulterated foods and suffers. Government of India enacted a central legislation called the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954. The act was being amended in the past so many times with an aim to make available safe, pure, wholesome and nutritious food to the public but the motive could not be materialised yet. There is a need to break this nexus at a priority basis. Besides this, the general public traders and food inspectors are all responsible for perpetuating the evil. Unless the public rises up against the traders and unscrupulous food inspectors, the evil cannot be curbed.

Ravi Chander Garg

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Avoid being lazy, take legal action

Adulteration is not just because of the producer or seller wants to earn more, but it prevails because they know that customers are also ignorant and lazy to react. As consumers we need to realise that there are a few number of sellers. If all consumers follow a legal route against cultures then this practise can be stopped. Therefore, the important thing is to change consumer culture. Consumers are protected under the Consumer Protection Act. They should know their rights. Many companies have customer helplines and email addresses. The complaint must be registered and a record be maintained. If the response is unsatisfactory, the case can be filed under Consumer Protection Act. Exemplary action on a few sellers can help bring a change in consumer protection. 

Dr Harpreet Singh 

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Expose the culprits 

Nothing can be more dangerous than adulteration of food. No one can mix harmful ingredients with eatables to earn profit. People or businessmen who follow malnutrition are enemies of the society. They cannot get away with it. It is high time, we all should expose such people to save citizens from disease and effects of adulteration.

Major Gurdeep S Samra(Retd)

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Be aware to be healthy!

Consumer awareness should be increased through various campaigns by the state government about food adulteration. A self-assessment of products before making purchase must be done by a consumer. Various tricks to find adulterated food and prevention to buy these products must be taught at educational institutes. Students must be encouraged to share the effects of adulteration with their family, relatives and friends. It is one of the primary duties of government to make effective quality check system regarding products and regular monitoring by enacting various laws. The penalty system should be strict as no one should dare to adulterate food for mere profit. It is the not only the duty of government but also of the consumer to be a beware consumer.

Jaspreet Kaur

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Adulteration shows the failure of health dept  

People need to understand that profits can’t buy life. FDI and FSIS had enforced many laws but lacks in the implementation. The local bodies that check the food quality approves it by taking bribe.   Food organisations need to understand that if products are pure, then the outcomes will be positive and it would automatically generate profits. Strict actions should be taken in this direction if anyone found encouraging adulterating. Food quality must be check at least thrice before approving it to be sold in the market. Moreover, forensics, biotech and different food departments should be opened so that the workforce can find out the quality of food and the additives. If a company offers bribe, its license should be cancelled. 

Harshpreet Kaur Suri

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Consumers should also be aware of products

There are many other cities including Ludhiana which are suffering from food adulteration. Just to gain some profit, manufacturers play with our health. To curb this problem, tests for adulteration should conducted in city. People can approach the Food Health Department to get check the quality of food. Government should take a strict action against the culprits. Although, government is taking steps to stop such activities, it is also our responsibility to ensure about whatever we taking is pure or not. Recently, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India declared lifetime imprisonment and 10 lakh rupees fine for people doing adulteration with food. This is very effective and great move by the government to curb this problem.

Kalpana Maurya

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Punish as per FSSAI 

Adulteration means that food products quality fails to meet the legal standards. For example, in milk, water is mixed to increase the quantity. In food adulteration quality of product is lowered either by addition of inferior quality material or by extraction of valuable ingredients. Food product is adulterated at the time of processing, storage and transportation. Under the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India, punishment must be given to person who involves in the process of food adulteration and it must be a non-bailable offence. Government must take proper steps for protecting the interest of the consumer who purchase the product.

Manpriya Kaur

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Customers should check food items before buying

Food is the basic need of every human being. But there are many manufacturers who are destroying it to gain profit. They are playing with the lives of people by giving their customers adulterated food. These days, the major reason behind poor health of people is adulterated food. The government should have a proper check on the food supplies. If a person found guilty then his/her organisation should be banned. Not only packed food items, even fruits and vegetables should also be checked properly. People should buy food only after checking it .

Surekha mahajan