India's Food Adulteration Crisis

Modern life in India is changing at a rapid pace. From metropolitan cities to small towns, every street and neighborhood today is surrounded by fast food and street food stalls. Outside colleges, you’ll find chaat and pakoras; around offices, burgers and noodles; and in night markets, cheap food vendors — all of which have become an inseparable part of urban lifestyle. People are often drawn by taste and low prices, choosing where to eat based on crowds rather than hygiene. But few ever stop to think about how clean or safe that food really is. This very carelessness has now turned into a silent crisis threatening the health of Indian society.

While cheap and tasty food sounds attractive, the reality is far more dangerous. Unscrupulous traders target both the consumer’s pocket and palate. Detergent in milk, refined oil in ghee, colored powder in spices, and chemically tinted sweets — all these have become common practices. A few years ago, investigations in Delhi, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh revealed that nearly 70% of milk sold in the market was adulterated in some form. The same holds true for everyday essentials like chili powder, turmeric, and gram flour.

The most dangerous form of adulteration is the use of artificial food colors and essences. While they make food look attractive, once inside the body they sow the seeds of cancer, liver damage, kidney failure, and hormonal imbalance. Ironically, colors banned in European countries for being hazardous to health are freely used in Indian sweets, snacks, and beverages.

The biggest tragedy today is that the greed for profit has crushed human sensitivity. The competition in the food industry has become so fierce that traders stoop to any level for “cheap production.” The use of substandard oils like palm oil is a major example. While many countries have restricted its use due to health risks, in India it is used in almost every processed food — biscuits, noodles, chips, snacks, and even sweets.

In our country, the obsession with quantity over quality has grown rapidly. As a result, consumers are also drawn toward cheaper products. They fail to realize that the food costing ?20 today may cost their health dearly in the future. This reflects a social mindset error — where we value short-term gain over long-term well-being.

To ensure food safety, India has institutions like the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). These bodies have legal powers to inspect food, cancel licenses, and act against offenders. Yet, the ground reality is grim. The number of food inspectors is limited, lab testing is slow, and corruption has weakened the monitoring system. In small towns and rural areas, food safety officers rarely conduct inspections. This negligence has emboldened adulterators. There have been instances where mineral oil is mixed with edible oil, and even detergent powder is used in sweets. The question arises — when the government is promoting campaigns like Swachh Bharat and Fit India, shouldn’t strict action against food adulteration be part of the same mission?

Adulterated food is not just an economic or moral offense — it is a grave public health crisis. Long-term consumption of such food leads to a slow poisoning of the body. The problem is even more serious for children, whose bodies are more sensitive. Artificial colors and chemicals can cause skin diseases, allergies, asthma, and hyperactivity. Adulterated oils and fats increase the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and cholesterol. Contaminated milk and dairy products cause digestive disorders and liver diseases. With repeated consumption, the immune system weakens. Ultimately, cheap food turns out to be very expensive — slowly damaging every cell of the body.

The harsh truth is that the government alone cannot monitor every street and every shop. Therefore, the key to escaping this web of adulteration lies in public awareness. We must consciously decide what and where we eat. Prefer home-cooked meals, ask questions when buying from local vendors, and always check the FSSAI license number, manufacturing date, and ingredient list on packaged items. Campaigns such as “Healthy Food — Safe Life” can be organized at schools, community groups, and village levels. If society begins to take this issue seriously, traders too will be compelled to improve for fear of losing customers.

The fight against food adulteration is not just a matter of law but a collective moral responsibility. The government must categorize food adulteration as a serious crime, ensure speedy action, and impose strict punishment on offenders. At the same time, small vendors and hawkers should be included in training and licensing programs to maintain hygiene standards. On the other hand, citizens too must play their part — if we find unhygienic conditions or suspect adulteration in a shop or restaurant, it is our duty to report it. FSSAI’s mobile app has been created for this very purpose, yet very few people use it.

The food we consume today forms the health foundation of our next generation. If we fail to act now, diseases like cancer, heart ailments, and diabetes could soon reach epidemic levels in our society. This will not only affect individual health but also have a severe impact on national productivity and the economy. A sick society can never become a strong nation. Therefore, it is time we rise above the lure of taste and cheapness and prioritize our health.

Food is not merely a means to fill the stomach — it is the source of life’s energy. When adulteration poisons it, it doesn’t just harm the body, but also sickens the very soul of society. The fight against adulterated food must unite law, administration, society, and individuals.

Ultimately, we must remember that health is the greatest wealth. Ignoring it for the sake of cheap food is a dangerous illusion — one that threatens not just our lifestyle but the future of our coming generations. We must stay alert and aware, for safe food is not just a legal right, but a fundamental right to life itself.