Closing Assam’s food adulteration gaps

Intensification of inspections of fruits and other food items by food safety teams under the Food Safety Commissionerate, Assam, across the state is laudable, but there is little room for complacency. Some Food Business Operators (FBOs) are still using calcium carbide to ripen fruits illegally and harmfully in various areas of the state, even after increased inspections, highlighting the need to fix enforcement issues. The food safety team in Nagaon detected, during their inspection conducted on Wednesday, the use of 500 grams of calcium carbide by two FBOs to artificially ripen a combined stock of 180 kg of bananas. The team subsequently destroyed the stock. Earlier on Tuesday, the Food Safety Team, Guwahati, destroyed nearly 6 quintals of mangoes at the fruit market in Fancy Bazar after they found the stock to be ripened with calcium carbide. If inspections and actions against food adulteration are not supported by strong penalties, just increasing efforts won’t keep unsuspecting consumers safe from ongoing food adulteration. Nevertheless, deployment of Food Safety on Wheels has strengthened the inspection of food quality in the state, as it has helped district teams to cover wider areas and more FBOs. Although the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) ordered strict enforcement across states to intensify action against illegal fruit ripening agents, reiterating that the use of calcium carbide for the artificial ripening of fruits such as mangoes, bananas, and papayas is strictly prohibited, the persistence of such violations remains unexplained. While the FSSAI is mandated to lay down science-based standards and ensure overall coordination, the state food safety authorities are primarily responsible for enforcement at the field level. The states having an adequate food safety workforce and the the required strength across all districts is essential to ensure effective enforcement of food safety standards. Official data reveals a stark gap between cumulative sanctioned strength and actual staffing in the country, a blind spot that continues to weaken enforcement of food safety regulations. Information provided by the central government in the parliament has brought to light that as of the third quarter of 2025-26, the cumulative sanctioned strength is 4,208 for Food Safety Officer cadres; 2,997 are filled, which is indicative of a serious manpower deficit in the enforcement system. This alarming shortfall, at a time when the number of FBOs has increased manifold, perhaps explains why many continue to violate the food safety standards without fear of any consequences and pose serious health hazards to consumers. Building awareness on the harmful practice of artificial ripening of fruits using prohibited ripening agents and other forms of food adulteration can help consumers to become force multipliers of food safety teams and strengthen the official food safety enforcement. Section 40 of the Food Safety Standards Act, 2006, empowers consumers to get food samples tested by food analysts and receive a report of laboratory findings of their samples within a specified time period. The Act allows consumers to analyse their samples in any of the 252 notified laboratories. A conscious consumer will collect samples whenever he or she suspects adulteration and submit them to the food analysts for analysis. Timely delivery of the test report to the consumer is crucial for strengthening confidence in the legal provision and for a ripple effect that spreads awareness among more consumers. Food Safety on Wheels is an innovative idea which has strengthened the inspection system as it helps cover wider areas under the jurisdiction of each district team. The visibility of an increasing number of detections of adulterated food samples across the state is partly attributed to the deployment of these mobile laboratories, which are equipped to conduct on-the-spot testing of samples for adulteration. Apart from inspection, the food safety teams also conduct awareness programmes among FBOs on maintenance of hygiene, food quality and other safety standards, and these teams are getting stronger support from the government. The consumers are critical to raising the overall awareness on food safety. Educating genuine FBOs about various regulatory requirements and the dangers of food contamination can help isolate violators and strengthen overall compliance. In addition to strengthening of inspections at the origin and destination points in wholesale and retail markets, intensifying checks along the entire supply chain, including the cold storage facilities and other storage points, transporting adulterated food is essential to prevent it from entering the retail market. Wider distribution of Food Safety Magic Boxes can enable consumers to play a larger role in enforcing food safety by facilitating the detection of adulteration in food. Since the box contains reliable “quick screening tests” that any consumer can perform at the household level, ensuring its easy availability is essential to achieve the core objectives. Vigilant food inspection teams, responsible FBOs and informed consumers must act together to close every gap in the food safety standards and ensure that they remain protected from potential health hazards.