The Maggi controversy has brought to light the perils of consuming packaged food, that many deem safe but which often contain alarming amounts of chemicals and toxins. New guidelines for food safety are needed
The Maggi noodles boiling controversy reiterates the unsavoury fact that India is lax in ensuring packaged food safety. Even the US is not alert enough. Europe too has had many mishaps. It is surprising that nobody is concerned about the real junk food that is being served by some major companies across the world.
The controversy surrounding Maggi noodles is not just limited to the shores of India. Europe and the US too have been debating about it for the past many years. People’s lives are at stake. In many countries, there have been occasional hue and cries over the chemicals that are injected into the packed food or put in the deep freezer. Meat, fish and other sea foods across the world are known to be injected with chemicals so that they give a fresh look for weeks or months.
The World Health Organisation’s Regional Director for Africa, Mr Matshidiso Moeti, said, “Unsafe food is linked to the deaths of an estimated two million people annually. Pregnant women, elderly people and children are the most vulnerable.”
“Everyone has a role to play in making food safe and I urge food handlers and consumers to be familiar with common food hazards,” he said. So, food safety is a global problem. Yes, China has this problem and so has Africa. But action is only taken only when voices are raised in the media.
The Daily Telegraph, on April 9, 2011, reported that baby food was found to contain alarming levels of toxic contaminants including arsenic, lead and cadmium. (China also recently had similar problems). These findings were made by the US Food Standards Agency and the European Commission conducting an urgent review to establish new limits for the long term exposure of these contaminants in food. Researchers found that feeding infants twice a day on the shop-bought baby foods such as rice porridge can increase their exposure to arsenic by up to 50 times when compared to breast feeding alone.
Exposure to other toxic metals such as cadmium, which is known to cause neurological and kidney damage, increased by up to 150 times in some of the foods tested by Swedish scientists, while lead increased by up to eight times. This gives a distinct impression that globally, health officials are lax in combating the might of large business houses for ensuring public health.
However, Maggi alone may not be the culprit. Many health drinks and calcium supplements produced by other companies are equally suspected. The fact is that advertising blitzkriegs lead to the sale of many of such products to gullible buyers. Even skin whitening or beautifying cosmetics are more harmful than they seem.
It’s not just about being concerned about what’s in our food, we have to be concerned about what our food is in. According to a new study from Europe, food packaging materials contain as many as 175 dangerous chemicals. A 2013 study by the US Food Packaging Forum, Pew Charitable Trusts and the European Food and Safety Authority indicates that more than 170 potentially dangerous materials are used in the packaging of food-things that have been linked to cancer, infertility, hormone disruption, and even genital defects. But largely, the US has not banned its sales.
Red-flagging the rising incidence of food and water contamination in India ahead of World Health Day, the Centre for Science and Environment said that there is a need for strict enforcement of the Food Safety and Standards Act and strengthening of the food testing laboratory infrastructure and skills.
“Scientific evidence has shown that contamination of food is a serious issue in India as unchecked microbial activity and the use of pesticides and antibiotics seriously compromise food safety, while consumption of junk food and other chemically-laced foods adds to the problem,” said Mr Chandra Bhushan, Deputy Director General, CSE, in a statement.
Pointing out that in 2013, about 10 per cent of deaths in India of children below five years were due to diarrhoea, Mr Bhushan said the exact burden of all food-borne illnesses in India has still not been estimated. The CSE study says that packaged food is laden with chemical additives that make the food unsafe. Food adulteration, especially in milk, is another key challenge. CSE also added that India can no longer afford to remain in the dilemma of whether it should provide ‘food’ or ‘safe food’ to all.
Yes, Nestlé and others sell milk and other milk products in cans, which have hardly been tested. Unfortunately, the doctors in this country are not exactly leading the discussion either, since nutrition is not currently a focus in medical schools. The Government agencies either have been in the awe of big businesses or unconcerned.
Using banned ingredients, that other countries have determined unsafe for human consumption, has become a pandemic in this country. India now needs to set standards to discontinue the use of banned ingredients to ensure toxin-free food.