Context:

• In India, food safety and nutrition are often overshadowed by socio-political considerations, despite alarming public health indicators like widespread child malnutrition and rising non-communicable diseases.
• Rampant food adulteration - ranging from milk and paneer to spices and oils - not only endangers health but also undermines the country’s economic credibility and regulatory framework.

Food and its Socio-Political Dimensions:

• Food as a social construct: Decisions around food in India, including mid-day meals and public functions, are influenced more by social and political contexts than by nutritional needs.
• Neglect of health aspects: Health considerations often take a back seat despite alarming nutrition indicators. 

Nutritional Status and Policy Apathy:

• NFHS-5 (2019–21) findings (among under five children):
  • Stunting: 35.5%
  • Wasting: 19.3%
  • Underweight prevalence: 32.1%
• Lack of nutritional prioritization: Despite such indicators, public health and nutrition continue to be low on the policy agenda.

The Menace of Food Adulteration:

• Adulteration in dairy products:
  • Milk adulteration:
    • National survey on milk adulteration (2011): 70% of milk samples failed safety standards.
    • Common adulterants: Water, salt, detergents, glucose.
  • Fake paneer: Detected in Delhi, Mumbai, Noida with adulterants like starch, synthetic milk, acetic acid.
• Spices:
  • Hong Kong banned (April 2024) MDH and Everest spice blends for containing ethylene oxide (carcinogen).
  • The EU has raised concerns about the presence of ethylene oxide in chilli peppers from India, and banned 400 spice items between 2019–2024 due to contamination.
• Edible oil contamination:
  • Common adulterants: Rice bran oil, argemone oil, artificial allyl isothiocyanate.
  • Health implications: Linked with non-communicable diseases like diabetes.

Public Health Implications:

• India’s health crisis:
  • Referred to as the "Diabetes Capital" with 77 million adults (above 18) suffering from this non-communicable disease.
  • A recent study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has attributed this to the dietary patterns, including ultra-processed and fried food consumption.
• Lack of public awareness: Adulterated food leads to food poisoning and even death in severe cases.

Regulatory and Institutional Gaps:

• Role of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI):
  • Conducts raids, tests sample, cancels licenses.
  • Urges the public to be cautious - a shift of responsibility from the state to individuals.
• Challenges in implementation:
  • Weak state infrastructure hampers effective food regulation.
  • Need for capacity building among food producers and vendors.

Way Forward - Reforms and Recommendations:

• Stricter FSSAI enforcement: Nationwide standardization and compliance.
• Improved food supply chain: Focus on farming, processing, and packaging hygiene.
• Food literacy: Promotion of awareness regarding safe and nutritious food consumption.
• Review of pesticide permissibility: Update safety norms to align with global standards.
• Empowering citizens without abdicating state responsibility: Balanced accountability framework.

Conclusion:

• Food safety is not just a health concern - it is a governance issue with socio-economic and international ramifications.
• Ensuring clean, nutritious, and unadulterated food must be a state priority backed by institutional strength, regulatory vigilance, and public engagement, especially in a country facing dual burdens of undernutrition and non-communicable diseases.