Any food that does not meet minimum standards is considered adulterated. Food adulteration involves adding non-nutritious substances intentionally in small quantities to improve appearance, flavor, texture or storage. It is done to increase profits, weight or trade volume. The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act defines adulterated food as containing poisonous, deleterious or added substances that can render the food injurious to health. Several agencies regulate food safety and quality in India through various acts.

1. “Any food that does not
conform to minimum
standards is said to be
adulterated”

2. Moderator
Dr. Dhaval By
Rizwaan N
Food
Adulteration

3. Food Adulteration
Definition:
“non-nutritious substances which are
added intentionally to food, generally in
small quantity, to improve its appearance,
flavor, texture, or storage properties”

4. Reasons for food adulteration are
To get more profit
To increase the weight, adulterant is added
To increase volume of trade by showing lower prices

5. Adulteration Criteria

6. Poisonous and Deleterious
 Poisonous = injurious effect or deadly effect as
result of chemical reaction between substance and
body
 N2 gas in flour
 Deleterious = broader term which includes
mechanical, physical and bacterial agents
 Shell fragments in Oysters

8. Added Substances
Substances intentionally added to
foods are scrutinized more closely
substance is considered to be
“added” as a component of the food
Those are “food additives”
e.g: caffeine an “added substance”
in coca cola

9. May render injurious to health
Presence of a poison or
deleterious and added
substance in food article may
render “injurious to health”

11. Classification of additives:
colouring agents
(e.g., saffron,
turmeric)
flavouring agents
(e.g., vanilla
essence)
Sweeteners
(e.g., saccharin)
Preservatives
(e.g., sorbic acid))
First category

13. Second category

14. Misbranding
Definition - presence or
absence of information on label of
a product which is false,
deceptive or misleading
Regulation of labeling concerning
the presence or absence of
specific attributes of a food
product has great potential
impact on food market

15. Label & Labeling
 Label:
A display of written, printed or graphic
matter upon the immediate container of
any article
 Labeling:
All labels and other written material
upon any article or any of its containers
or wrapper, or accompanying the
product

16.  Purpose of labeling:
Inform the consumer about the product
Induce the consumer to buy the
product
 Why regulate labeling:
Prevent fraud, deception or misleading
statements
Require disclosure of information
necessary for consumer to make
“informed decision”
 Label must not be “false or misleading in
any particular”

18.  Milk - Addition of water, removal of fat
 Ice-Cream –Cellulose, starch, non-permitted
colours
 Ghee –Vanaspati
 Vegetable oils -Cheap/non edible oil like
linseed, mineral oils.
 Wheat and rice –mud, grits, soapstone bits

19. Coffee powder- Date husk, tamarind husk,
chicory
Butter- starch, animal fat
Chilli powder- saw powder, brick powder
Dhania powder- cow dung or horse dung
powder
Dals- coaltar dyes, khesari dal

23. FOOD REGULATORY
REQUIREMENTS IN INDIA
 To safeguard health and safety, Government of
India promulgates regulatory requirements for
manufacture and sale of goods and services,
including those imported
 Regulatory measures should have minimum
compliance costs
 Regulatory measures should benefit society

24. Contd..
 Regulations should be fair and treat all
equitably
 Regulations are stipulated through Various Acts/
Rules & Regulations by different Ministries under
Government of India
 Enactment of Acts, Rules & Regulations is done
taking cognizance of the relevant WTO & WHO
Agreements

25. SOME ACTS/ REGULATIONS/
CONTROL ORDERS TO
REGULATE FOOD TRADE IN
INDIA
AGENCIES INVOLVED
Prevention of Food Adulteration Act
1954
Directorate General of Health
Services
Fruit Products Order, 1955 Ministry of Food Processing
Industries
Bureau of Indian Standards act,
1986
Department of Consumer Affairs,
Govt. of India
AGMARK Act 1937 Directorate of Marketing and
Inspection
Standards on Weight and
Measurement Act 1976
Department of Legal Metrology
Insecticides Act Dept. Of Agriculture and co-
operation
Milk and Milk Product Order 1992 Directorate General of Health
Services

26. Prevention of Food Adulteration
Act,1954
 Enacted by Indian Parliament in 1954
 Objective:
ensuring pure and wholesale food to the
consumer and to protect them from fraudulent and
deceptive trade practices
 PFA Act – was amended in 1964, 1971 and lately
1986 to make the act was more stringent.

27. Features:
 Rules are framed and revised by expert
body called “Central Committee for Food
Standards”
 Its implementation is largely carried out
by state govt. and local bodies in their
respective areas.

28. However, Centre plays a vital role in:
1> coordination
2>monitoring
3>surveillance

29. There are a chain of food laboratories and 4
regional appellate Centre food laboratories:
1>Kolkata
2>Mysore
3>Ghaziabad
4> pune
report from this laboratories are
considered final.

30. Features contd..
 Food inspectors, analysts and senior officers are
provided training
 Since training is an important component of
the programme for prevention of food
adulteration.
 This food inspectors are responsible for
perpetuating the food adulteration, considered as
the “THE SOCIAL EVIL”.

31. Some components of this social evil:
1)
• public lack of awareness and
disinterest
2)
• traders greed for money
3)
• food inspectors who find
adulteration a fertile ground to
make easy money.

32. Punishments
 For cases of proven adulteration- minimum
imprisonment of 6 months with a minimum a fine
of ₹.1000
 For the cases of adulteration which leads to
death or such harm may amount to griveous hurt
(acc. IPC 320) – Life imprisonment and fine not
less than ₹.5000

33. Fruit Product Order (FPO), 1955
Objective:
is to manufacture fruit &
vegetable products maintaining
sanitary and hygienic conditions in the
premises and quality standards laid
down in the Order.

34. Following minimum requirements are
laid down in the Fruit Product Order for
hygienic production and quality
standards:
 Location and surroundings of the factory
 Personal hygiene
 Sanitary and hygienic conditions of premises
 Portability of water
 Machinery & Equipment with installed capacity
 Quality control facility & Technical staff
 Product Standards
 Limits for preservatives & other additives

35. BUREAU OF INDIAN STANDARDS(BIS)
1986
INDIAN STANDARDS INSTITUTION [now known
as BUREAU OF INDIAN STANDARDS( BIS)] set
up on 6 JANUARY 1947
BIS is functioning under MINISTRY OF
CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC
DISTRIBUTION, GOVT OF INDIA as a statutory
body under BIS ACT, 1986 with effect from 1
APRIL 1987

36. OBJECTIVES:
Harmonious, development of
standardization and quality control in
national and international arena
Certification schemes for products and
systems
Growth and development of Indian
industry, commerce and exports
Consumer protection

37. AGMARK Act, 1937
 The AGMARK Act,1937 is the first
legislation enacted for the quality control
of Agricultural products.
 AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE: Includes all
produce of agriculture or horticulture and
all articles of food or drink wholly or partly
manufactured from any such produce,
fleeces and the skin of the animals.

38. OBJECTIVE:
(1) To notify the agricultural commodities for
which grade standards are to be prepared under this
Act.
(2) To prepare standards for agricultural
commodities popularly known as
“Agmark Standards”
(3) To implement the grading of Agril.
Commodities on the basis of Agmark Standards
(4) To make rules to carry out the provisions of
this Act
(5) Fixing the grade designation to indicate the
quality of any scheduled article

39. PENALTY:
For unauthorized marking with grade designation
mark-six months imprisonment and fine not
exceeding ₹.5000
 For counterfeiting grade designation mark-
imprisonment for a term of not exceeding 3years
and fine not exceeding ₹.5000
 Penalty for selling misgraded article-
imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months
and fine not exceeding ₹.5000

40. Codex Alimentarius
Commission (CAC)
The Codex Alimentarius Commission
(CAC) was created in 1961/62 by
Food and Agriculture Organization of
the United Nations (FAO) and the
World Health Organization (WHO),
to develop food standards

41. Objective
The main purpose of this Programme
is to protect the health of consumers,
ensure fair practices in the food trade,
and promote coordination of all food
standards work undertaken by
governmental and non-governmental
organizations.

42. Adverse Effects
of
Food Adulterants

44. Acknowledgement
Moderator : Dr. Dhaval
Websites :
 Delhi.gov.in
 Standardsdata.in
 Fda.gov
 Fssai.gov.in
Books : K. Park

45. Let food be thy medicine, thy medicine shall
be thy food.
- Hippocrates
Thank You
