Poison in the food one eats ! Pesticides to artificial ripeners
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: June 24 2015 -

Poison in the food one eats. From pesticides, insecticides to now artificial ripeners.

Not exactly the high lead content and mono sodium glutamate that popular noodles Maggi was alleged to contain, but it is basically the same thing.

This comes after reports that street foods in Delhi contain high level of foreign substances and one can imagine how the consumers have been taken for a ride all over the country.

Apart from the Maggi report there is nothing much to suggest that the reports concerning the high level of artificial level of ripeners in fruits on the streets of Imphal and unhygienic street food of Delhi have caught the imagination of the powers that be and this is perhaps the frightening part.

It is not only fruits or for that matter mangoes that must be containing high level of substances that are harmful to one’s health but also all other fruits or vegetables that are openly sold in the markets of Imphal and elsewhere in Manipur.

Not only fruits and vegetables, but one may well ask how hygienic and safe are the meat and fishes sold in the open at Imphal and elsewhere in Manipur.

The same poser may well be raised with the water that is being supplied through the water pipes at all the localities in Imphal.

How about the chlorine level ? Is it safe for human consumption ?

Most probably the report highlighting the high level of artificial ripeners found in mangoes that are sold in the fruit stalls of Imphal will go unnoticed here and this is the reason why the people need to be extra cautious.

On the other hand it also points to the existence of a class of traders who will not hesitate to play around with the health of the people just to earn some quick profits.

Cannot expect the Government to check the practices of all unscrupulous traders, but yet at the same time, it should be ready to act when any such damning reports see the light of day.

Civil society organisations in Manipur are known to be hyper active and it is at times like this that they need to demonstrate their activism.

Pressurise the traders to practise their trade more honestly and not play around with the health and well being of the public and at the same time mount the pressure on the Government to crackdown on such unscrupulous trade practices.

A scary thought it is to even think that the food one eats could prove to be dangerous to one’s health.

As pointed out earlier, it is not only fruits that one has to be careful about but also other edibles.

Traders and businessmen need to be told in no uncertain terms that any attempt to compromise with the health of the public will not be tolerated.

Since the cheating game has been taken up with an eye on maximising profit, hefty fines should be imposed as penalties.

This will go some way in checking malpractices.

A vigilant public, an active Government which places due importance on public health can go a long way in defeating the motives of some of these traders to whom the only thing that matters is profit and more profit.