Thiruvananthapuram: Ensuring safe food to citizens seems to be a tough task for the government machinery as contaminated vegetables, fruits and adulterated coconut oil are flooding the state market. The recent report on high levels of lead and monosodium glutamate in Maggi noodles has added to the woes of the Commissionerate of Food Safety here.
A report on the level of pesticide content in vegetables and fruits submitted by the food safety authorities after visiting neighbouring states reveals that the pesticide content is 5 to 10 times more than the permissible levels. Statistics show that every year, 35,000 new cases of cancer are being detected in the state. Nearly 1 lakh people are under treatment for cancer annually. Around 2,400 tonnes of vegetables and fruits arrive in the state per day.
Commissioner of Food Safety T V Anupama told DC that the high power committee formed by the state government to keep track of the quality of perishables from other states has decided to make licence and registration mandatory for wholesale traders and vehicles arriving with vegetables. “A meeting has been convened with the wholesale vegetable and fruit dealers on June 9 in the state capital to sensitise them on the issue. There are not many of them so it would be easy to reach out. They are the key to find the source so that effective intervention is made at the grassroot level,” said Anupama.
Food safety authorities are groping in the dark as there is no way to legally book traders despite having provisions. In Kerala, the state government introduced the Commissionerate of Food Safety to enforce the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 back in 2011 which aims at strengthening food safety regulation in the state.
An understaffed Commissionerate and ill-equipped public analytical laboratories with no NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) accreditation - a requirement for the proper execution of the act - is affecting the enforcement of food safety rules in the state. There are only 60 food safety officers for the entire state. “It’s a real challenge when some crisis arises and our entire manpower is diverted and all other work suffers. Now our food safety officers are busy following reports on Maggi products,” said a food safety official.
The production of vegetables in the state is less than 25 percent of the total requirement. “Highly contaminated vegetables are being sold in our markets. The high power committee has recommended collection of statutory samples from every load arriving in the state via green channel. The sales tax authorities have been informed. Research carried out by the University detected over a dozen chemicals and pesticides in perishable goods including green chillies, curry leaves,” said scientist Thomas Biju Mathew of Kerala Agricultural University, member of the high power committee.
As many as 40 truckloads of vegetables arrive every day from other states. “It’s not easy to prevent flow of vegetables from other states. If we take steps we will be able to keep track on the trucks from our states, in the absence of a mutual understanding between the states to ensure effective prevention of contaminated vegetables. Cauliflower, brinjal, cucumber and red bananas have high pesticide-levels and consumption can cause severe consequences,” said Anupama.
Two years have gone since the government planned to roll out three mobile labs to screen the quality of fruits coming from other states. With the onset of the mango season, the lack of facilities is a challenge. Adulterated coconut oil, fruits, vegetables are flooding the Kerala markets due to lack of laboratory facilities at checkposts. Around Rs 75 lakh was earmarked and Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd (KMSCL) was engaged to procure mobile laboratories. However, as per the current schedule the cost is pegged at Rs 1 crore.
“We are planning to buy equipment to check adulteration in coconut oil. This would be set up inside the mobile laboratories which would start rolling very soon. We have banned several oil brands in the state. If they rectify the flaws and resubmit the application we would lift the ban after inspection,” said Anupama.
