Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are part of every day diet for all and most go by the usual approach of going for juicy and fresh varieties while buying them. But can outward appearance guarantee nutrition? Not really, especially, when they are originating from contaminated soils.
The recent alert with regard to presence of Lead in a popular fast food at home has woken up the consumer and gotten him to think. But how many of us pause to think what is in our food? Fresh vegetables, fruits, agricultural raw materials like rice, wheat, and spices, processed and packaged convenience food? Are all these free from contaminants?
Some of the contaminants present in agricultural products could be heavy metals, pesticides, agro-chemicals, fertilisers, and hormones. Industrialisation and release of untreated effluent water into water bodies and application of strong chemicals on agricultural crops lead to the presence of these chemicals in the soil. They get absorbed by crops, fruits and vegetables and can at times be inherently present in the entire body which becomes difficult to wash off and eliminate. While India is strongly an agricultural country, it is very critical to ensure that the farm produce is completely fit for human consumption and devoid of any toxic elements that could affect the human body.
Contaminants affect the digestive system, nervous system and at times impair vital organs in human body and the damage may be irreversible. The safety of all foods consumed is critical.
Some Export Rejects from India – June 2015
Frozen shrimps rejected by France due to presence of veterinary medicinal substance Nitrofuran (metabolite) Furazolidone (AOZ)
Groundnuts rejected by Belgium due to presence of Aflatoxins
Frozen baby squid rejected by Spain due to presence of Cadmium
Red chilli peppers rejected by the UK because of Aflatoxins
Manganese oxide rejected by Portugal due to Arsenic contamination
