In a crackdown on substandard food products, the Food and drug administration (FDA) reportedly conducted an inspection drive in Salcete taluka which targeted manufacturing units of various sweets and farsan producers as well as shops at the Margao bus stand and other locations. Large quantities of sweets were seized which did not have FSSAI labeling and were transported in an improper method. FDA reportedly seized 3,000 kg of substandard cashew nuts from a dealer in Calangute. FDA also seized nine quintals of bananas from a shop in Mapusa market that had been treated with Ethephon, an unauthorized artificial ripening chemical. Malachite green, a chemical dye used to adulterate vegetables, is known to cause cancer. In Goa approximately 1,400 to 1,500 new cancer cases emerge each year. Increased incidence of lifestyle diseases like cancer can be directly attributed to consumption of adulterated food, according to experts. The question that arises is whether the rise in the number of cancer cases in Goa can be ascribed to food adulteration. If so, the drive against adulterated food and use of chemicals in fruits and vegetables needs to be intensified.
