JOIN USMangoes safe, shows lab test
Mangoes sold across Bengaluru are largely free from pesticides, a Metrolife reality check has found.
A team of reporters bought samples from supermarkets, street vendors, organic stores and Hopcoms outlets in Jayanagar, Gandhi Bazaar, Banashankari, near Lalbagh and Trinity Circle.
Metrolife sent the samples to a lab run by the state government’s agriculture department. The Krishi Sankeerna lab, located in Banashankari, took a week to test the mangoes and give us a report.
The report says no pesticide residue of significant quantity was found in the samples. The lab pulped the mangoes and tested for pesticide residue, which means we could not get reports on individual samples. The lab says pulping is the standard procedure. On three parameters, the residue content exceeded a score of one but was less than 3.
Since the permitted range was 1-100 ppb (parts per billion), the lab considers these numbers negligible. The numbers do not exceed the maximum residue limit (MRL) as determined by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
Pesticides have several adverse effects on human health, and can cause a range of problems, from respiratory diseases to cancer.Food filled with pesticides increase toxicity in the body and can have both short-term and long-term effects on health. Reassuringly for Bengalureans, mangoes from multiple locations tested pesticide residue-free.
Calcium carbide alert
This mango season, just like every year, there has been talk about chemicals being used to artificially ripen mangoes. Because they are cheap, harmful chemicals such as calcium carbide are used to hasten the ripening of fruits. Mangoes are harvested prematurely and sachets of calcium carbide are placed close to the mangoes to speed up their ripening process.
What is calcium carbide?
It is a carcinogenic containing arsenic, banned in India under the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act, 1954, and Prevention of Food Adulteration Rules, 1955. According to these laws, no fruit can be ripened with the help of calcium carbide. But traders use the chemical because it is cheap and easy to buy. It is a carcinogenic containing arsenic, banned in India under the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act, 1954, and Prevention of Food Adulteration Rules, 1955. According to these laws, no fruit can be ripened with the help of calcium carbide. But traders use the chemical because it is cheap and easy to buy.
Precautions
- Wash mangoes thoroughly under running water for a few minutes so that the chemicals are washed away.
- Peel and cut mangoes into pieces rather than eating them as a whole.
Simple home test
“Artificially ripened mangoes have a uniform yellowish colour, a different fragrance and when you cut it, the fruit will be hard at the core and soft outside,” said Parashivamurthy, additional director of horticulture department (fruits and flowers).