Contamination of food major worry, say experts

Contamination and adulteration of food is a major worry and there is a massive need for safety in terms of handling and distribution of food, stated experts ahead of World Health Day on April 7.

As food changes hands, bacteria, viruses and pathogens are transferred, which lead to food poisoning, diarrhoea, dehydration and also Hepatitis C.

The World Health Organisation states that there are an estimated 582 million cases of 22 different foodborne diseases and 3,51,000 associated deaths.

Over 40 per cent of those suffering from contaminated food diseases are children. Cutting and chopping of vegetables for mass consumption of foods without wearing proper gloves leads to spread of viral infections like Hepatitis A and C, say experts.

Nutritionist Sujatha Stephen said, “Cross contamination is a major worry as the same cutting board is used for raw meat and also vegetables.

This type of contamination also causes food-borne illness. Hence it is very important that the cutting board is washed properly after cutting a veg- etable or non-vegetarian food before being reused.”

The major problem is that the Food Safety and Standards Act is not implemented properly. Hyderabad has only four food inspectors and they are only able to undertake complaint-based monitoring.