India's focus on headline threats eclipses the silent danger of food adulteration
The article argues that India treats spectacular crises as urgent while overlooking everyday food contamination that harms health and costs billions.
In an analytical column, the writer contends that India swiftly addresses high-profile threats such as terror attacks, yet treats the persistent issue of food adulteration as ordinary and therefore less urgent. He references a 2016 Centre for Science and Environment study that detected potassium bromate or iodate in the majority of bakery items sampled in Delhi, illustrating how a visible incident triggers response. The article explains that adulteration spans dangerous additives to cheaper ingredient substitutions, exploiting a long, opaque supply chain that hampers tracing, especially for unbranded goods.
The World Bank estimates an annual economic burden of about US $15 billion from food-borne illnesses, while agricultural exports valued at roughly $51.91 billion could lose credibility abroad. Although the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 provide a regulatory framework, enforcement suffers from low detection rates and public desensitisation. The author recommends adopting traceability and rapid-alert mechanisms similar to those used in the European Union, United States and Singapore, and stresses that sustained public awareness is essential to rebuild consumer trust.
Why it matters
Undetected food contamination threatens public health, economic productivity, and India's reputation as a food exporter.
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