The festive season is here again! Diwali, undoubtedly the festival of all festivals, lifts the curtain on the season of indulgence. Diwali and the days going into New Year is a time for offering prayers, rejoicing, merriment, and sharing one's happiness with friends and family.
The season is synonymous with fire crackers and delicacies like sweets, savoury snacks as well as other delicious food preparations. These bring with them a wealth of happiness, both to children and adults. Some favourite festive sweet preparations like gulab jamun, various types of ladoos, pedhas, kesar barfi, etc., bring delight and joy. Likewise, there are many mouth-watering snacks like namak paare, mathri, paneer tikka, aloo chaat and other gastronomic delights. Besides these, there are many sumptuous vegetarian preparations for the main course also, including Hyderabadi biryani, kadai paneer, paneer tikka masala, amongst many others.
However, while this time of the year is a time for merriment, some precautions need to be observed too. Caution should be exercised while buying, eating and distributing food items during the coming days, as the issue of adulteration increases manifold during this festive time.
Issue of adulteration
Incidents of adulterated food rise sharply during this period due to the activities of some unscrupulous businessmen. In fact, the problem of food adulteration is so acute that one in five food items fail quality checks (Herald, Panjim, 28.07.2015). Adulteration can be intentional, where substandard substances are added to the food or valuable substances are removed "intentionally" for economic gains. It can also be unintentional, due to carelessness or negligence. In either case, it can cause serious health hazards to consumers. In spite of the provision of severe punishment for the culprits, it has been reported from states like Tamil Nadu that only about 16% of adulterers actually get convicted (Times of India, Chennai, 07.09.2015). Even home-made food must be made from raw materials purchased from reliable retailers, in order to avoid adulteration. Ready-made food items should ideally be branded, which will guarantee the best quality and standards for the food items being bought. We should also check for the best-to-use before/expiry date, the batch/lot number, as well as the FSSAI logo and license number on the packs.
Simple tests to check adulteration
Food items and their raw materials can be adulterated by various substances that are cheaper and lower in the nutrient content of the concerned food. There are many examples, some of which are briefly discussed below.
Milk: This is an essential component of various sweet dish preparations. Milk can easily be adulterated by simply adding water to it. While this is not harmful to the consumer, it definitely lowers the nutrient content of the milk, and is likely to alter the quality of the sweets that are prepared with it. This type of adulterated milk can easily be tested by placing a drop of milk on a polished slanting surface; the diluted milk glides down quickly, while the pure milk glides down slowly, leaving a white trail behind.
Khoya & Chhena: These are commonly used for the preparation of traditional festival sweets, and are often adulterated with starch. All you need to do is boil a small sample in water, cool it then add a few drops of iodine solution. A blue colour indicates the presence of starch.
Paneer: This is often used in popular preparations like paneer butter masala, shahi paneer, kadai paneer, paneer tikka masala etc. The abovementioned iodine test is valid for paneer too.
Adulteration of ingredients
Besides common food items, as discussed above, some common ingredients can also be adulterated.
Chilli Powder: It might be surprising, but chilli powder can be mixed with powdered brick! You can test for this type of adulteration by taking a teaspoon of chilli powder and mixing in a glass of water. If it leaches colour into the water, it is adulterated with powdered brick.
Coriander Powder: This is sometimes mixed with powdered bran and sawdust. This can be tested by just sprinkling some of it on water; the adulterants will float on the water.
Cumin Seeds: Sometimes grass seeds coloured with charcoal dust are made to pass as cumin seeds! Simply rub them in your palm. If it turns black, it indicates adulteration.
Pepper: This spice can also be adulterated by grinding it with papaya seeds. Whole pepper is mixed with papaya seeds, which are very similar in size and colour but are relatively tasteless once dried. This can be tested by taking a small sample of peppercorns and dropping them into a glass of water. The peppercorns will drop to the bottom and the papaya seeds will float. For ground pepper, the test is similar.
Issue of food safety & hygiene
Observing proper food safety & hygiene this festive season is of the utmost importance. This is especially true for confectioners who prepare traditional sweets and namkeen snack items. These food business operators (FBOs) must ensure that the food being prepared and distributed from their outlets are being prepared and stored in a clean and hygienic environment. They should ensure that sweet and savoury dishes are prepared separately in order to prevent any unwanted mix-up.
Since most of our festivals are religious occasions, personal hygiene will need to be given added priority in order to maintain food safety. Confectioners should preferably wear an apron at all times, when in the food preparation area. The personnel who serve should wear clean clothes and plastic disposable gloves. The cooks should have their hair properly trimmed and nails clipped short and clean. They should wash their hands before food preparation. Importantly, food preparation should be avoided in case of fever, runny nose, coughs and colds, etc. or any other type of infectious disease.
Conclusion
The festive season is a time to be happy and joyful. It's not a time that you'd want to fall ill, particularly from avoidable causes such as food poisoning. Therefore, "be careful this festive season" and follow these simple tips to consume food that is hygienic, nutritious, as well as tasty. This will ensure that you, your family and guests have a wonderful time in the days ahead!
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By Dr Saurabh Arora
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