Food adulteration is probably not a term that people are familiar with.

That being said, it's important to know where your food comes from and what sort of practices are used in manufacturing the food that you consume. As the organically grown movement grows, people have become more interested in growing and farming methods. Contaminated foods and drinks are common sources of infection. Among the more common infections that one can get from contaminated foods and drinks are typhoid fever Escherichia coli infections, shigellosis or bacillary dysentery, giardiasis, cryptosporidiosis, other salmonelloses, cholera, rotavirus infections, also a variety of worm infestations. Many of the infectious diseases transmitted in food and water can also be acquired directly through the faecal-oral route. Food adulteration Food Adulteration is the 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. Food is declared adulterated if:

a substance is added which depreciates or injuriously affects it cheaper or inferior substances are substituted wholly or in part any valuable or necessary constituent has been wholly or in part abstracted it is an imitation it is colored or otherwise treated, to improve its appearance or if it contains any added substance injurious to health

Food-preservatives have a very extensive use, which often constitutes adulteration. Salt is the classic preservative, but is seldom classified as an adulterant. Salicylic, benzoic, and boric acids, and their sodium salts, formaldehyde, ammonium fluoride, sulphurous acid and its salts are among the principal preservatives. Many of these appear to be innocuous, but there is danger that the continued use of food preserved by these agents may be injurious. Some preservatives have been conclusively shown to be injurious when used for long periods.

Coal-tar colours are employed a great deal, pickles and canned vegetables are sometimes coloured green with copper salts; butter is made more yellow by anatta; turmeric is used in mustard and some cereal preparations. Apples are the basis for many jellies, which are coloured so as to simulate finer ones. In confectionery, dangerous colours, such as chrome yellow, prussian blue, copper and arsenic compounds are employed. Yellow and orange-coloured sweets are to be suspected. Artificial flavouring compounds are employed in the concoction of fruit syrups, especially those used for soda water. Milk is adulterated with water, and indirectly by removing the cream. The addition of water may introduce disease germs. Cream is adulterated with gelatin, and formaldehyde is employed as a preservative for it. Butter is adulterated to an enormous extent with oleomargarine, a product of beef fat. Brick dust in chilli powder, coloured chalk powder in turmeric, injectable dyes in watermelon, peas, capsicum, brinjal, papaya seeds in black pepper etc. To avoid illness, one is advised to select foods with care. All raw foods must be checked for contamination particularly in areas where hygiene and sanitation are inadequate. One is advised to avoid salads, uncooked vegetables, and unpasteurised milk and milk products such as cheese, and to eat only food that has been cooked and is still hot. Undercooked and raw meat, fish, and shellfish can carry various intestinal pathogens. Cooked food that has been allowed to stand for several hours at ambient temperature can provide a fertile medium for bacterial growth and should be thoroughly reheated before serving. Consumption of food and beverages obtained from street food vendors has been associated with an increased risk of illness.

History Food adulterants can be traced back as far as 1820. Frederick Accum, a German chemist, investigated the use of adulterants when he identified metal colorings in drink and food that turned out to be toxic. Food suppliers during this time were upset by Accum's work and he was discredited. However, Arthur Hill Hassall, a physician, later conducted studies, which were published and led to further legislation and the 1860 Food Adulteration Act. Common Food Adulterants

Mogdad coffee, whose seeds have been used as an adulterant for coffee Roasted chicory roots, whose seeds have been used similarly, starting during the Napoleonic era in France (and continuing until today as a moderately popular additive for cheaper coffee) Roasted ground peas, beans, or wheat, which have been used to adulterate roasted chicory Diethylene glycol, used by some winemakers to fake sweet wines Oleomargarine or lard, added to butter Rapeseed oil, commonly added to sunflower oil and soybean oil, brassicasterol being a marker of its presence Rye flour, corn meal or potato starch, used to dilute more expensive flours; alum is also added to disguise usage of lower-quality flour Apple jellies, as substitutes for more expensive fruit jellies, with added colorant and sometimes even specks of wood that simulate strawberry seeds Artificial colorants, often toxic - e.g., copper, zinc, or indigo-based green dyes added to absinthe Sudan I yellow color, added to chili powder, as well as Sudan Red for red color Water, for diluting milk and beer and hard drinks Low quality black tea, marketed as higher quality tea Starch, added to sausages Cutting agents, often used to adulterate (or "cut") illicit drugs - for example, shoe polish in solid cannabis Urea, melamine and other non-protein nitrogen sources, added to protein products in order to inflate crude protein content measurements Powdered beechnut husk aromatized with cinnamic aldehyde, marketed as powdered cinnamon. High fructose corn syrup or cane sugar, used to adulterate honey; C4 sugars serve as markers, as detected by carbon isotopic signatures Glutinous rice coloring made of hazardous industrial dyes, as well as tinopal to make rice noodles whiter (to serve as bleach) Noodles, meat, fish, tofu preserved with formaldehyde in tropical Asia, to prevent spoilage from the sun

Examples Some examples of adulterating food by adding substances to them include: Selling sugar water that has been artificially flavored and claiming that it's apple juice; spraying water on grain that's being stored to increase its value and weight; contaminating milk or infant formula with melamine. Adding "fillers" to foods instead of using pure ingredients is probably the most common form of food adulteration. Here are dangerous ill-effects of some common adulterants in food substances Tea: Artificially colored saw dust or foreign leaves are mixed in tea leaves or teas dust. This leads to cancer and several health hazards. Milk: Not only water but also starch, wheat flour, rice flour, arrow root etc are added to milk. Also dangerous substances like Pulverized soaps, detergents, Ammonium sulphate, Urea, boric acid are also added lead to cancers, Acute Renal failure etc. Coffee Powder: Coffee powder is adulterated with roasted chicory. In recent days it is found that mixture of coal, clay, indigo and lead chromate are added to coffee powder which leads to paralysis and brain damage. Ghee (Clarified Butter): Merchants used to adulterate Ghee by using vanaspathi (hydrogenated vegetable fat), but these days it is adulterated in a dangerous way; that is the bones of cows, donkeys, monkeys, horses, pigs, dogs etc were boiled in a huge pan and the obtained fat is added to ghee and mixed with some scented substances. This leads to chronic chest infections. Food grains and pulses: Stones, sand and filth are mixed in food grains and pulses which damage the digestive tract.

Edible oils and fats: If the edible oils or fats are adulterated with Argemone oil, it leads to Glaucoma and sometimes cardiac arrest and the adulterant white oil and other petroleum fractions lead to cancer. In case oils are adulterated with Rancid oils it destroys vitamin A and E whereas if the adulterant is TCP it leads to severe paralysis. Mustard seeds: Argemone seeds are mixed in mustard seeds and lead to epidemic dropsy. Turmeric powder: Turmeric powder is adulterated with lead chromate. This leads to paralysis, anemia, brain damage and abortion. Alcoholic liquors: These are contaminated with methanol which cause blindness and often death. Fruits: It is a sad thing that these immoral merchants wont leave even the natural foods. Fruits particularly apples and mangoes are sprayed over with lead arsenate that leads to chills, cramps, paralysis and death. Injurious Adulterants/Contaminants in Foods and their Health Effects S.No Adulterant Foods Commonly Involved Diseases or Health Effects

Adulterants in food
1 Argemone seeds Argemone oil Mustard seeds Edible oils and fats Epidemic dropsy, Glaucoma,

Artificially seeds

coloured

Cardiac arrest foreignAs a substitute for cumin seed, Injurious to health

Poppy seed, black pepper Foreign leaves or exhaustedTea tea leaves, saw dust artificially coloured TCP Oils Rancid oil Oils Sand, marble chips, stones,Food grains, pulses etc. filth

Injurious to health, cancer

4 5 6

Paralysis Destroys vitamin A and E Damage digestive tract

Lathyrus sativus

Khesari dal alone or Mixed inLathyrism other pulses paraplegia)

(crippling

spastic

Chemical Contamina tion

8 9 10 11 12 Barium Mineral oil (white oil,Edible oils and fats, BlackCancer pepper Turmeric whole and powdered,Anemia, abortion, paralysis, petroleum fractions) Lead chromate Methanol Arsenic

mixed spices brain damage Alcoholic liquors Blurred vision, blindness, death Fruits such as apples sprayedDizziness, chills, cramps, over with lead arsenate paralysis, death Foods contaminated by ratViolent peristalisis, poisons (Barium carbonate) hypertension, arterial muscular

twitching, convulsions, cardiac 13 Cadmium disturbances Fruit juices, soft drinks, etc. inItai-itai (ouch-ouch) disease, contact with cadmium platedIncreased vessels or equipment.gastritis, salivation, liver and acute kidney

Cadmium contaminated waterdamage, prostrate cancer 14 Cobalt 15 Lead and shell-fish Water, liquors Cardiac insufficiency and

mycocardial failure Water, natural and processedLead poisoning food mental damage)

(foot-drop, brain

insomnia, anemia, constipation, retardation,

16 Copper 17 Tin 18 Zinc

Food Food Food

Vomiting, diarrhoea Colic, vomiting Colic, vomiting

19 Mercury

Mercury fungicide treated seedBrain damage, paralysis, death grains or mercury contaminated fish

NOTE: Safe limits have been prescribed for above metals in different food. Continuous use of food contaminated with these metals beyond safe limits may cause these diseases

Bacterial contaminati on
20 Bacillus cereus 21 Salmonella spp. Cereal products, custards,Food vomiting, infection abdominal (food (nausea, pain, infection puddings, sauces diarrhoea) Meat and meat products, rawSalmonellosis eggs 22 Shigella sonnei 23 Staphylococcus aureus Entero-toxins-A,B,C,D or E and egg products,

vegetables, salads, shell-fish,usually with fever and chills) warmed-up leftovers Milk, potato, beans, poultry,Shigellosis (bacillary dysentery) tuna, shrimp, moist mixed foods Dairy products, baked foodsIncreased salivation, vomiting, especially custard or cream-abdominal filled foods, meat and meatsevere products, etc. Defectively low-acid foods, salads, cream sauces, frozenprostration cramp, cold diarrhoea, sweats, thirst,

24 Clostridium botulinus toxins A,B,E or F

canned foods; smoked

low

orBotulism

(double

vision,

medium-acid sausages,

meats,muscular paralysis, death due vacuum-to respiratory failure)

packed fish, fermented food etc. Milk improperly processed orNausea, abdominal pains,

25 Clostridium.perfringens

canned meats, fish and gravydiarrhoea, gas formation

stocks (Welchii) type A 26 Diethyl stilbestrol (additive in animal feed) 27 3,4 Benzopyrene 28 Excessive solvent residue 29 Non-food grade or contaminated packing material 30 Non-permitted colour or permitted food colour beyond safe limit 31 BHA and BHT beyond safe limit 32 Monosodium glutamate(flour) (beyond safe limit) 33 Coumarin and dihydro coumarin 34 Food flavours beyond safe limit 35 Brominated vegetable oils 36 Sulphur dioxide and sulphite beyond safe limit 37 Artificial sweetners beyond safe limit Sweet foods Chances of cancer In variety of food asAcute irritation of the gastrointestinal tracts etc. preservative Cold drinks Anemia, enlargement of heart Flavoured food Chances of liver cancer Flavoured food Blood anticoagulant Chinese food, meat and meatBrain products damage, mental retardation in infants Oils and fats Allergy, liver damage, increase in serum chloresterol etc. Coloured food Mental retardation, cancer and other toxic effect. Solvent extracted oil, oil cakeCarcinogenic effect etc. Food Blood clot, angiosarcoma, Skoked food Cancer Meat Sterlites, fibroid tumors etc.

cancer etc.

Fungal contaminati
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on
38 Aflatoxins 39 Ergot alkaloids from Claviceps purpurea Toxic alkaloids, ergotamine, ergotoxin and ergometrine groups 40 Toxins from Fusarium sporotrichioides 41 Toxins from Fusarium sporotrichiella 42 Toxins from Penicillium inslandicum Penicillium atricum, Penicillium citreovirede, Fusarium, Rhizopus, Aspergillus 43 Sterigmatocystin from Aspergillus versicolour Aspergillus nidulans and bipolaris 44 Ascaris lumbricoides 45 Entamoeba histolytica Any raw food or waterAscariasis contaminated by human faces containing eggs of the parasite Raw vegetables and fruits Amoebic dysentery Foodgrains Hepatitis Yellow rice Toxic mouldy rice disease Moist grains Urov disease (Kaschin-Beck disease) Grains (millet, wheat, oats,Alimentary toxic aleukia(ATA) rye,etc) (epidemic panmyelotoxicosis) Aspergillus flavus-Liver damage and cancer contaminated foods such as groundnuts, cottonseed, etc. Ergot-infested bajra, rye mealErgotism or bread itching of (St.Anthonys skin, fire-

burning sensation in extremities, peripheral gangrene)

Viral

46 Virus of infectious Hepatitis (virus A) 47 Machupo virus

Shell-fish, milk, unheated foodsInfectious hepatitis contaminated human Foods with faeces, urine and blood of infected contaminated withBolivian haemorrhagic fever

rodents urine, such as cereals

Natural Contaminati on
48 Flouride 49 Oxalic acid 50 Gossypol 51 Cyanogenetic compounds 52 Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons(PAH) 53 Phalloidine (Alkaloid) Bitter almonds, apple seeds,Gastro-intestinal disturbances cassava, some beans etc. Smoked fish, meat, mineral oil-Cancer contaminated water, oils, fats and fish, especially shell-fish Toxic mushrooms Mushroom (Hypoglycemia, poisoning convulsions, Cottonseed flour and cake Drinking water, sea foods, tea,Excess fluoride causes fluorosis etc. Spinach, amaranth, etc. (mottling of teeth, skeletal and neurological disorders) Renal calculi, cramps, failure of blood to clot Cancer

profuse watery stools, severe necrosis of liver leading to 54 Solanine 55 Nitrates and Nitrites Drinking water, Potatoes hepatic failure and death) Solanine poisoning (vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea) spinachMethaemoglobinaemia tumours in the liver, kidney, trachea oesophagus and lungs. The liver is the initial site but afterwards tumours appear in

rhubarb, asparagus, etc. andespecially in infants, cancer and meat products

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56 Asbestos (may be present in talc, Kaolin, etc. and in processed foods) 57 Pesticide residues (beyond safe limit) 58 Antibiotics (beyond safe limit)

Polished processed

rice, foods

other organs. pulses,Absorption in particulate form by containingthe body may produce cancer

anti-caking agents, etc. All types of food Acute or chronic poisoning with damage to nerves and vital Meats animals from organs like liver, kidney, etc. antibiotic-fedMultiple drug resistance hardening disease of arteries, heart

How to Prevent Food Adulteration? Like any other crime, food adulteration would continue. However, everyone will wish that this menace, like any other crime, be controlled significantly. Food adulteration is common in almost all developing countries. But its ugly face is not the same everywhere. In a developing country which is at the lowest rung of the development ladder, food adulteration consists of relatively simple measures. The enforcers which mean the government, municipal bodies and all others responsible directly or indirectly with the control of food adulteration will opine that the control of this menace needs a number of measures; only legal enforcement will not be enough. The basic requirements are providing adequate food supply at a reasonable price, setting up of realistic food standards which are enforceable and which can be attained by majority of the traders (not only the big food industries but the common agricultural producers, traders and the medium and petty food processor), the minimum basic honesty on the part of the traders and the law enforcers, a band of committed inspectorate staff and of course, a harsh deterrent punishment for those who commit this crime. It has been mentioned for decades that if deterrent punishment is prescribed for food adulteration, this crime will disappear.

Food adulteration in Bangladesh The people of Bangladesh are the victims of food adulteration. But effective measures to check this public health related problem are not in sight. They expressed concern over mixing toxic substances with all types of fruits in the current fruit season by the 11

unscrupulous traders, and asked the government to take appropriate measures to protect public health. Food encompasses cereals, starchy tubers, meat and fish, pulses, vegetables, fruits, eggs, milk and milk products, fats and oils, and flavourings and stimulants. According to the Pure Food Ordinance, 1959 "food means any article used as food or drink for human consumption, other than water or drug, and includes ice and aerated water, and any substance which is intended for use in the composition or preparation of food; any flavouring matter or any spice or condiment; and any colouring matter intended for use in food." The problem of food adulteration has, however, reached an alarming stage at marketing level. Hardly any category of food, whether cereal, vegetables, fish or meat, milk or milk products, fruits, pulses, fats and oils, is available in the markets unadulterated. The areas of concern for the public health scientists, members of medical profession, Consumers' Association of Bangladesh (CAB), and civil society members include: (a) using urea fertilizer and artificial colour for processing rice to make it whiter and colourful; (b) spraying harmful and spurious chemicals on fruits for early ripening, increasing shelflife, and providing attractive gloss on the skin; (c) colouring vegetables with harmful dyes for giving a look of freshness; (d) using formalin, a chemical used by the medical students to prevent dead bodies from degrading, in fish to make them appear fresh; (e) artificial colouring of pulses; (f) adulterating milk and milk products including sweetmeat; and (g) adulterating aerated water. The public health scientists and members of the medical profession have warned that if the alarming situation of food adulteration is not checked, people's health will be at stake, and particularly the country's future generation will suffer from many complicated diseases and in the long run they may get intellectually disabled. There are laws to ensure supply of safe food and foodstuff for protection and preservation of public health. The Pure Food Ordinance, 1959, is intended to curb and remedy the evil of food adulteration. The Pure Food Rules, 1967, contains the details for the purpose of carrying out the objectives of the Pure Food Ordinance, 1959. The Cantonments Pure Food Act, 1966, and the Cantonment Pure Food Rules, 1967, aim at preventing the adulteration of food in cantonments.

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The Pesticide Ordinance, 1971, including the amendments of 1980 and 1983 and the rules made thereunder in 1985 aim at regulating the import, manufacture, distribution, sale and use of pesticide chemicals. Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institute (BSTI) Ordinance, 1985, and the rules made thereunder, relate to the testing and quality control of certain industrial and commercial products including food and drinks. The reasons for widespread adulteration of food and foodstuff in Bangladesh may be identified as follows: First, a number of organisations such as health department, food department, BSTI, city corporations, municipalities, police department, etc. are responsible, severally and collectively, for the enforcement of food laws. But there is a lack of effective coordination among them. There even exists confusion among them regarding certain action(s) to be taken to combat adulteration of food. A report published in The Daily Star of March 13, 2004, regarding the use of formalin in fish showed that top officials of the Ministry of Health, Dhaka City Corporation, Public Health Laboratory, and BSTI pointed fingers at one another, no-one knowing which body should combat the practice of using formalin in fish. Second, food laws mentioned above have become inadequate to cope with the advanced techniques of food adulteration. So, these laws have to be updated keeping in view the prevailing circumstances of adulteration. Third, as far as it is known, there is no coordinating body in the government to oversee and monitor the enforcement of food laws by different organisations under different ministries. Fourth, adulteration of food affects people at all strata of the society. But political parties in the country are not normally seen raising their voice for combating food adulteration problem. Further, the rules of procedure (ROP) of parliament contain provision for discussing matters of public interest in the House. But hardly any discussion on this matter of general public interest takes place in parliament. Fifth, the common people of the country are not conscious about the disastrous effects of adulterated food and foodstuff on human health. The traders, both wholesalers and 13

retailers, face no resistance from the relevant government agencies and the people in the operation of their unholy business. The public health scientists, the agricultural scientists, the CAB and the civil society leaders have come out with their views and suggestions to combat the food adulteration problem in the country. These include: *Since the continued use of chemical pesticides has been a matter of growing public concern for their effects on human health, wildlife, and the environment, steps should be taken to reduce chemical pesticide use in favour of integrated pest management, biological controls, and plant breeding for inherent pest resistance. *Chemicals sprayed on fruits and vegetables should be tested in properly equipped laboratories to ascertain the ingredients injurious to human health. An expert committee should closely monitor the results of these tests. Follow up action(s) should be taken on the recommendations of the expert committee. * Food laws have not only to be updated keeping in view the prevailing circumstances of food adulteration, but their strict enforcement has to be ensured. * A high-powered coordinating body in the government may be established to oversee the enforcement of food laws and government policies in this regard. * Political parties should raise their voice, both inside and outside the parliament for combating the food adulteration problem. *The CAB and the civil society leaders have been demanding enactment of an act for protecting the rights of the consumers. It is learnt the draft law is awaiting approval of the cabinet. Since the proposed law will have impact on the rich and the poor, the government may solicit the opinion of the people and the media by disclosing the draft law to the print media. This will help the cabinet in according approval in principle to the draft law. Our lawmakers may also be benefited from the public opinion in the passage of the law.

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*Public awareness about the hazardous effects of consumption of adulterated food has to be built. The consumers, particularly the rich consumers, should restrain themselves from the buying spree. This will act as a silent resistance to the unscrupulous traders' business.

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References
http://doctor.ndtv.com/storypage/ndtv/id/3731/type/feature/Food_adulteration.html http://answers.encyclopedia.com/question/food-adulteration-87042.html http://www.ehow.com/about_5104539_food-adulteration.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_adulteration http://www.kreativegeek.com/2009_06_07_archive.html http://nihfw.org/Publications/material/J144.pdf http://www.newagebd.com/2005/aug/12/met.html http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Genetically_engineered_foods.aspx http://agmarknet.nic.in/adulterants.htm http://www.thedailystar.net/2005/06/22/d50622020323.htm

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