Hyderabad: Caraway seeds mixed with sodium hydrosulphite, masala powders mixed with sawdust and brick powder, cool drinks and ice-cream mixed with glycerol monostearate — Hyderabad’s local food products are now deadly, with food adulteration rackets expanding their business far and wide in the city.
Even ‘high quality’ spices sold in the market are fakes. Sources say highly toxic papaya seeds, mixed with synthetic gum, black and red iron oxide, are sold as pepper. Police investigations, following the busting of a few such rackets recently, have revealed that many city traders took the cue from traders in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where food adulteration is rampant.
Low-income consumers, who do not lay much store by the brand of the food/spice articles, are usually the victims of food adulteration. “An adulterated product is sold for a cheaper price than a branded one. Many families that look for a cheaper option buy the local adulterated product without knowing that deadly chemicals are mixed in it. A majority in Hyderabad are not aware of widespread adulteration of various products,” said a senior police officer of the Commissioner’s Task Force.
The other big buyers of adulterated products are owners of road-side dhabas, food joints and tiffin centres. Many of them buy it knowingly because they are cheap and help increase their margins. Adulterated ghee, edible oil, milk, spices and masala powders are mostsought after by road-side vendors.
“What we eat at road-side food joints is highly toxic. Even the tomato ketchup is adulterated. When we raided a unit in Marredpally, we found tomato sauce and vinegar being adulterated before being sold to roadside food joints,” said a Task Force official.
As complaints poured in, police started raiding many such adulteration units in the city recently. The cops have already arrested more than 20 people for adulterating food items. “We have to keep on raiding places and bust these rackets to ensure that safe food is available in Hyderabad. The Task Force has decided to make it part of our routine to bust adulteration rackets,” said Task Force chief B. Limba Reddy.
