Based on a complaint, the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) inspected a godown in Sagar (Madhya Pradesh). They placed a handful of mustard seeds in a bowl of water. Voila! The ‘seeds’ dissolved within a minute. Examination of the stock revealed that 40 per cent of the ‘mustard seeds’ were clay granules. One fails to understand whether it was a grain warehouse or a soil research testing laboratory. On Jan 17, five officials were booked for cheating, criminal conspiracy and violations under the Food Safety and Standards Act. The crime could have gone undetected had a buyer who had bought the seeds at an auction of the NAFED not grumbled about the dubious quality of the produce. Even mustard seeds have not been spared by vested interests. The govt, NAFED, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) need to take action against those who adulterate food, drinks, medicines and other consumable products and also those who use harmful/banned ripening agents for fruits. Since consumers are directly affected they need to muster courage to report such incidents to the relevant authorities.
