Soon after Maggi was pulled off the menu in the State, the food safety department has decided to conduct laboratory tests on other such products avialable in the market.
The people of Dehradun are now extra cautious over the menace of food adulteration. Manisha Verma, a housewife, said, “Boiling and washing eatables has now become essential. Fruits on sale in the market look attractive but they lack taste. This is because artificial colours are indiscriminately applied to make them look fresh. The drive against food adulteration should not end at Maggi. All the food products should be checked thoroughly.”
“Ban on Maggi has compelled us to stop eating other instant noodles,” said college student Ananya Uniyal. Reports on increased food adulteration have affected their eating habits and they are now avoiding packed food, she added.
City resident Vijay Pal said that the authorities like the food safety officers should check the products properly to stop such things from recurring. “Besides, the people should be informed about all the reports regarding food safety measures,” he added.
“Preservatives and chemicals like iron dust, coal tar, artificial colours are added to the eatables whether packed or not,” said Doon Hospital Dietitian, Richa Kukreti. People cannot stop eating vegetables, fruits or pulses, but packed food can be avoided and all the other products should be washed thoroughly before consumption, she suggested. “Consumption of adulterated items has resulted in several cases of food poisoning, heart diseases, damage to digestive system and even cancer. Therefore, precautions must be taken by the producers as well as the consumers, Richa said. People should eat healthy foods for a better immune system to fight against problems, she added.
Vinita Agarwal, a housewife, said that she has adopted the method of kitchen gardening to grow vegetables and fruits on her own. “Kitchen gardening helps us avoid using eatables from market up to a certain level,” she said. Mahesh Dheeman, who works as a salesman in the city, said, “Before cooking I now chop the vegetables and clean them properly. Besides, I have stopped using packed food as much as I can,” he added.
Ashish Jain, a student, said that ban on Maggi was an eye opener. “It has helped us to change the eating habits. Now we are avoiding such things. We are stressing on eating healthy,” he added.
“Earlier people used to eat fast food. However, the Maggi controversy has turned a blessing in disguise. Now we are all avoiding instant noodles. I have seen people around me becoming cautious about what they eat. This augurs well for us all,” said another city resident Divay Sharma.