WE EAT AT OUR PERIL

MANY  PLANTS EVOLVE POISONS AS PROTECTIVE MECHANISMS AGAINST ANIMALS FEEDING ON THEM. FOR EXAMPLE,  SOLANINE  IN POTATO, GOSSYPOL IN COTTON SEEDS, OXALIC  ACID LEAFY VEGETABLES GOITROGEN IN CABBAGE, PHALLIODINE  IN MUSHROOMS, BOAA IN KHESARI, CYNOGENS  IN TOPIOCA AND BITTER ALMONDS AND SO ON .

AROUND 500 SPECIES OF MARINE FISH ARE POISONOUS AND  MANY OF THOSE ARE AMONG EDIBLE VARIETIES .

PRE-HISTORIC HUMANS DEPENDENTS EXCLUSIVELY  OF ANIMALS FOR SAFE FOOD,

AS FOODS CONSUMED BY   ANIMALS WITHOUT OBVIOUS HARM WERE SAFE FOR HUMANS TOO. DEVELOPMENT OF MODERN FOOD TECHNOLOGY AND FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES HAS OPENED UP THE  RISK OF CONTAMINATION OF FOOD BY A HOST OF CHEMICALS KNOWN AS ADDITIVES,PRESERVATIVES COLOURING AGENT, ETC.

USE OF PESTICIDES IN INDIA BEGAN 1948 WITH  SMALL SCALE  OF IMPORTS OT DDT BHC. PESTICIDE USE IN AGRIL  BEGAN IN 1949. INDIA USE AROUND 30000 TONS OF PESTICIDES ANNUALY, MORE THAN 70%OF WHICH CONSTITUTE ORGANOCHLORINE COMPOUNDS HAVING  CHARACTERISTICS OF  BOTH BIO-ACCUMULATION  AND BIOMAGNIFICATION.ONLY 0.1% HIT THE TARGETS PEST AND REST POLLUTE SOIL WATER  BODIES AND FINALLY  ENTER OUR FOOD CHAIN.

AROUND 20%  OF INDIAN FOOD PRODUCTS CONTAIN PESTICIDE RESIDUES BEYOND  THE MAXIMUM RESIDUE LEVEL-CONCENTRATION OF A PESTICIDE EXPRESSED IN PART PER MILLION THAT ITS LEGALLY PERMITTED IN THE FOOD COMMODITY COMPARED TO ONLY 2% GLOBALLY.

ICMR FOUND DDT  IN 82%  OF 2205 MILK SAMPLES COLLECTED RANDOMLY FROM 12 STATES.

75% OF ANTIBIOTICS USED ARE NOT ABSORBED BY ANIMALS AND EXCRETED IN THEIR WASTES POSING A SERIOUS RISK  TO PUBLIC HEALTH. BOTH RESIDENT BACTERIA AND ANTIBIOTIC RESIDUES ALSO ENTER THE FOOD CHAIN THROUGH THE SOIL AND WATER.

THE DEADLY Hg Cd,Pb AND PCBs HAVE BEEN POTENTIAL HAZARDS OWING TO THEIR PERSISTENCE AND TENDENCY FOR BIO -ACCUMULATION.

MINAMATA DISEASE CAUSED BY CONCEPTION OF FISH AND SHELLFISH OF MERCURY CONTAMINATED MINAMATA BAY; ITAI-ITAI DISEASE DUE TO CONSUMPTION OF CADMIUM  CONTAMINATED   RICE AND YUSHO  OIL DISEASE  FROM CONSUMPTION OF PCB CONTAMINATED RICE BRAN OIL ARE  CLASSIC TRAGEDIES OF FOOD TOXICITY CAUSED BY INDUSTRIAL POLLUTANTS.

FOODS SAFETY AND STANDARDS AND FOOD ADDITIVES REGULATIONS, 2011.

DEPENDING ON LOCAL DIETARY CUSTOMS AND CUISINE THE AVERAGE  DAILY  INTAKE OF MSG RANGES FROM 0.5-3.0g A DAY, WHILE  ITS ADI IS 16 mg/kg  BODY WEIGHT.

A HOST OF CONTAMINANTS MAY INADVERTENTLY ENTER FOOD DURING PRODUCTION MANUFACTURE , PROCESSING , PACKAGING, TRANSPORTING OR HOLDING. OVERHEATING OF FACTS AND OILS AS WELL AS USING THE SAME OIL REPEATEDLY MAY BE HARMFUL FOR  HEALTH; TRACES  OF METALS , LIKE LEAD TIN,COPPER ,NICKEL, ALUMINIUM, CADMIUM HAVE BEEN FOUND IN FOOD IN THE METALLIC  OR CERAMIC CONTAINERS OR UTENSILS.

ADULTERATED FOOD ARTICLES DO NOT ALWAYS SHOW THE HAZARDOUS EFFECTS INSTANTANEOUSLY. BUT CONSUMPTION OF ADULTERATED FOOD  ARTICLES PUT CONSUMERS SLOWLY  TO THE RISK EPIDEMIC DROPSY, INFERTILITY, LATHYRISM, GLAUCOMA, BRAIN,LIVER, AND KIDNEY DAMAGES, CANCER, SKIN DISEASE , CARDIAC AILMENTS AND EVEN DEATH.

THE FOOD ITEMS TESTED RANGED FROM EVERYDAY ITEMS SUCH  AS FOOD GRAINS , EDIBLE OIL/FATS, MILK, AND  MILK PRODUCTS , SUGAR AND SUGAR BASED  CONFECTIONERY, FRUIT JUICES, AND SPICES  TO READY-TO-EAT PACKED FOODS AVAILABLE IN GROCERY SHOPS.