Picking the right one

Some people prefer buying the neatly packed, refrigerated fruits and vegetables from supermarkets in malls, while others buy them from pushcart vendors or roadside makeshift markets. The belief that fruits and vegetables sold at open markets are less adulterated is the dominant opinion. Most food experts and nutritionists say it is hard to distinguish between adulterated and non-adulterated fruits and vegetables.

The authorities with the Institute of Public Health claim regular checks are being carried out and whenever a case of adulteration is found, a fine of Rs 50,000 is slapped on the ‘mandi’ owner, informs Dr Srinivas Gowda, joint director, Food Safety and Standard Act, Institute of Public Health.

“We have found cases where artificial colouring is used on peeled vegetables, especially peas and beans. We’ve also found cases where people have used calcium carbide to ripen fruits and vegetables, especially in bananas,” he says.

Srinivas adds that food-grade wax is used on apples to make it shine. “We don’t recommend the use of food-grade wax at all. By simply looking at the fruit, we cannot really tell whether the fruit has been contaminated or not, unless we test it. We always advice that people wash the fruits and vegetables several times before using it.”

Food experts concede that artificially ripening fruits and wax coating them to enhance their look is a growing but worrisome trend. Though these fruits have shorter shelf life, they are proliferating as traders want to make a quick buck.

Dr T V Ramachandra, faculty, Energy and Wetlands Research Group, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, points out that adding preservatives and resorting to artificial ripening of fruits and vegetables has reached uncontrollable levels.

He observes the use of potassium permanganate in watermelon has almost doubled. “Potassium permanganate is used to increase the redness in the watermelon. People tend to buy it because of its appearance. Those who consume watermelon on a regular basis are at the risk of developing kidney-related disorders and some chemicals used in it also cause cancer,” he says. Ramachandra suggests that it is safer to buy fruits from pushcart vendors than malls.

“These pushcart vendors can’t use any artificial methods to sell their produce.” He also says that there’s a lot of pesticide used in grapes, cabbage and cauliflower at the initial stages to increase growth, longevity and keep the insects at bay. 

Fruits that are available during the off-season and at reasonable rates, is an indication of some contamination. There are some middle men who have started injecting a red dye into the fruit, especially watermelon, to give it a bright red shade.

These colours are toxic and may cause deadly diseases, confirms Dr Priyanka Rohatgi, Chief Clinical Nutritionist and Head, Nutrition and Dietetics, Apollo Hospitals.

She elaborates, “A spurious red colour is injected into watermelon to give it an attractive shade. Even the round shape can be an indicator for buyers because most of them have been ripened by exposing it to carbide that generates ethylene gas which gives out heat that in turn helps the fruit to ripe faster and stay in a good shape.”

 She adds the practice of using harmful colours in foods is not restricted to watermelons alone, even vegetables are not spared. Pesticides can leave adverse effects on the nervous system, warns Dr Priyanka.

She says, “Pesticides can cause several hazardous diseases like cancer, liver, kidney, and damage the lungs. Certain pesticides can also cause loss of weight and appetite and trigger irritability, insomnia, behavioural disorder and dermatological problems. The pesticide residue found in fruit and vegetables include residues of both banned (Aldrin, Chlordane, Endrin, Heptachlor, Ethyl Parathion) and restricted pesticides for use in India (DDT, Endosulfan).”

Since it is difficult to monitor food adulteration at all times, there are experts who suggest that people turn to organically grown fruits and vegetables. Sheela Krishnaswamy, a diet, nutrition and wellness consultant, encourages people to consume organically grown products.

“It is safe to buy from a cart vendor because the chances of manipulation is almost nil and if space and time permits people must try to grow vegetables in whatever space available in their homes. At least, you are sure of what you eat,” she suggests.