INTRODUCTION TO FOOD ADULTRATION

Food is essential for life. It should be pure, nutritious and free from any type of adulteration for proper maintenance of human health. We toil day and night for what? For that two morsel of wholesome nutritive food. And if at the end of the day we are not sure of what we eat, than what are we toiling for? Inviting disease rather than good health.

MEANING OF ADULTRATION
Adulteration is defined as the process by which the quality or the nature of a given substance is reduced through the addition of a foreign or an inferior substance and the removal of a vital element. Adulteration of food and drugs can cause serious damage to human life. This antisocial menace is sought to be countered by making the legal provisions more stringent and deterrent .

Food adulteration act of intentionally debasing the quality of food offered for sale either by the admixture or substitution of inferior substances or by the removal of some valuable ingredient. Types of Adulterant: Intentional : deliberate act on the part of the adulterator to increase his profits. Incidental: due to ignorance, negligence or lack of proper facilities.

EXAMPLES OF ADULTRATION
Chilli podwer saw dust and colour sprinkle on the surface of the water saw dust will float and colour would make the water colured. Milk water or urea Sugar chalk dissolve it in water sugar will dissolve but chalk will settle down. Salt white podwered stone or chalk dissolve it in water it will make the water white. Pure Ghee vanaspathi ghee Black pepper dried seeds of papaya.

 Food is one of the essentials for proper maintenance of human health. Access to pure, nutritious food, free from any type of adulteration is the right of every citizen. sec.272 & 273 of IPC not sufficient for control of adulteration of food articles. Prevention of Food Adulteration Act was enacted in 1954 to prevent adulteration in food.

THE PREVENTION OF FOOD ADULTRATION ACT, 1954

Pure, fresh and healthy diet is most essential for the health of people. Community health national wealth. Adulteration was so widespread, rampant and persistent a comprehensive legislation was needed. Laws existed in number of States but they lacked uniformity. Adulteration of food- stuffs and other goods included in the Concurrent List (III) of the Indian Constitution.

PREAMBLE OF THE ACT

An Act to make provisions for the Prevention of Adulteration of food . Objectives of the Act: To protect the public from poisonous and harmful foods To prevent the sale of substandard foods To protect the interests of the consumers by eliminating fraudulent practices

SECTION 2(i) ADULTRANT

Any material which is or could be employed for the purposes of adulteration. SECTION 2 ( ia) ADULTRATED : An article of food shall be deemed to be adulterated: If the article sold by vendor is not of the nature, substance or quality demanded by the purchaser If the article contains any other substance which affects the substance or quality thereof. If any inferior or cheaper substance has been substituted wholly or in part for the article so as to affect the nature, substance or quality of the product

If any constituent of the article has been wholly or in part extracted to affect the quality thereof If the article has been prepared, packed or kept under unsanitary conditions where by it has become contaminated or injurious to health If the article consists wholly or in part of any filthy, putrefied, rotten decomposed or diseased animal or vegetable substance or is insect-infested or is otherwise unfit for human consumption If the article is obtained from a diseased animal If the article contains any poisonous or other ingredient which renders it injurious to health

If the container of the article is composed, whether, wholly or in part of any poisonous or deleterious substance which renders sits contents injurious to health If any colouring matter other than that prescribed in respect thereof is present in the article or if the amounts of the prescribed colouring matter which is present in the article are not within the prescribed limits If the article contains any prohibited preservative or permitted preservative in excess of the prescribed limits

If the quality or purity of the Article falls below the prescribed limits of variability which renders it injurious to health If the quality or purity of the article falls below the prescribed standard or its constituents are present in quantities not within the prescribed limits of variability which renders it injurious to health

SECTION 2(v) FOOD

Any article used as food or drink for human consumption other than water and drugs and includes:  any article which ordinarily enters into, or is used in the consumption or preparation of human food,