PILIBHIT: Ahead of the Holi festival, the district administration of Pilibhit started collecting samples of sweets, milk products, edible oils, and various other food materials to detect adulteration, use of harmful chemicals, and synthetic preservatives in them keeping in view the safety of people. However, this action doesn’t curb the sale of adulterated food products.
Shashank Tripathi, the deputy commissioner of food safety, said, “Under the prevailing system, the collected samples are sent to Lucknow-based government laboratory for testing, the concerned reports of which are received at the district headquarters after 3-4 months. The state merely has six functional laboratories. Since samples are received from almost all districts, the reports get delayed due to the heavy backlog.”
Since legal action against the defaulters is subject to the disclosure of these reports, the administration fails to take requisite action on time in some cases, he added. “We only take immediate action in cases where we find the use of non-permitted colours in certain sweets that are detected by ocular inspection,” he said.
A few renowned doctors told TOI that the use of synthetic preservatives and harmful chemicals in sweets and other food items can result in cancer, and serious cardiac as well as respiratory troubles. In such a situation, the administrative system is slipshod in protecting the health of residents.
Dr Anand Mishra, a cancer specialist, professor, and the head of endocrine surgery at Lucknow-based King George’s Medical University, said, “The preservatives in milk and food products transform into carcinogen agents. While some food items consist of nitrosamines. The preservatives having nitrites and nitrates, when mixed with the gastric acid, form cancer-causing agents in the body.”
“The preservatives and chemicals in food products can weaken heart tissues. Their residue in food items can be a reason for cardiovascular disease, heart damage as well as cardiomyopathy. These preservatives can also aggravate respiratory problems,” said Dr Pranjal Agrawal, a cardiologist in Bareilly division.
Kalim Athar, the state executive member of the Indian Red Cross Society, said that he would soon send a letter to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath requesting the setup of a government-owned testing laboratory in all district headquarters across the state. The letter would be duly signed by a majority of the society’s executive members, he added.
Shashank Tripathi, the deputy commissioner of food safety, said, “Under the prevailing system, the collected samples are sent to Lucknow-based government laboratory for testing, the concerned reports of which are received at the district headquarters after 3-4 months. The state merely has six functional laboratories. Since samples are received from almost all districts, the reports get delayed due to the heavy backlog.”
Since legal action against the defaulters is subject to the disclosure of these reports, the administration fails to take requisite action on time in some cases, he added. “We only take immediate action in cases where we find the use of non-permitted colours in certain sweets that are detected by ocular inspection,” he said.
A few renowned doctors told TOI that the use of synthetic preservatives and harmful chemicals in sweets and other food items can result in cancer, and serious cardiac as well as respiratory troubles. In such a situation, the administrative system is slipshod in protecting the health of residents.
Dr Anand Mishra, a cancer specialist, professor, and the head of endocrine surgery at Lucknow-based King George’s Medical University, said, “The preservatives in milk and food products transform into carcinogen agents. While some food items consist of nitrosamines. The preservatives having nitrites and nitrates, when mixed with the gastric acid, form cancer-causing agents in the body.”
“The preservatives and chemicals in food products can weaken heart tissues. Their residue in food items can be a reason for cardiovascular disease, heart damage as well as cardiomyopathy. These preservatives can also aggravate respiratory problems,” said Dr Pranjal Agrawal, a cardiologist in Bareilly division.
Kalim Athar, the state executive member of the Indian Red Cross Society, said that he would soon send a letter to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath requesting the setup of a government-owned testing laboratory in all district headquarters across the state. The letter would be duly signed by a majority of the society’s executive members, he added.