Abstract: |
The formalin scare has gripped the nation, after huge quantities of fish laced with the substance—a known carcinogenic chemical primarily used for stopping decomposition of corpses—have been seized across the country. This has not only taken fish off the household menu but, more importantly, brought into focus the problem of food adulteration. The crackdown on formalin, however, has been restricted to banning fish from the breeding states rather than trying to uproot the menace. The half-baked reaction of governments to the wilful contamination of fish is symptomatic of a deep-seated malaise. Food adulteration in India has reached dangerous levels with nothing edible spared from the unscrupulous practice. |