As Goenkars, fish holds a special place in our hearts and our stomach too. The news of formalin laden fish spread like wildfire via FB and WhatsApp. Messages starting flooding in ‘FDA raids Margao wholesale fish market, spot tests confirm formalin, a cancer causing agent in fish, officials shut market for the day’. It came as a relief later that quantitative tests established that only trace amounts of formalin were found and that it posed no ‘real’ threat, but that itself posed more questions rather than dispelling our fears, the obvious question was, is formalin supposed to be in fish in the first place? This leads to the larger question of adulteration and it’s effects on our health.
Adulteration is done to either increase shelf life (preservatives), increase profitability (using substandard substitutes) or to increase appeal of a consumable (spurious colouring and flavouring agents). This can lead to a plethora of acute/chronic health related complications, ranging from an innocuous stomach upset to more serious cardiac and even brain related neurological associated effects, depending on the concentration of the additive and the consumers exposure to it. Adulteration is nothing new, from mithai/sweet outlets using substandard ghee and mawa, to artificially ripened mangoes to milk manufactured from starch and water detergents, adulteration is present widely.
The Government in its wisdom has created certain standards to comply by, laid out by the AGMARK, FSSAI, FDA et al. These agencies work to ensure safe foods. In light of recent events, the government should make it mandatory for the FDA to conduct atleast bi-monthly random sampling at every market (fish, fruit, vegetable, meat) and enforce stringent checking of consumables at state borders, that come from neighbouring states, to check for compliance to safety standards. Raids at road side ‘gaddos’ and sweet marts should also be conducted as they often show dismal adherence to safety and hygiene standards. Besides this, agencies should also conduct similar exercises at beach shacks, eateries and similar establishments to ensure that untreated waste and effluents are not left into water bodies which can have a potentially deleterious effect on aquatic life such as fish and by extension to it’s consumers, us. Agricultural runoff too laden with heavy pesticides/insecticides can leach into the underground water table leading to it’s contamination, again, tracing it’s path to us. Given the magnitude of the issue at hand, a comprehensive multi-pronged strategy is needed to combat this issue. The Government should also raise awareness regarding adulteration via print and electronic media and encourage citizens to report errant establishments. These need to be penalised heavily and blacklisted if found to be repeat offenders.
An old adage says ‘we are what we eat’. At an individual level we need to start buying consumables from trusted places, avoid market made mithai and the likes. Stay healthy, live healthy.
