New Law against Food, Drink Adulteration

In a development that could have far-reaching consequences, a Parliamentary panel has decided that anyone selling adulterated food or drinks could be punishable with a jail term of up to six months and will have to pay a minimum fine of Rs 25,000. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs is headed by BJP MP Brijlal.

Adulteration has been an issue the country has had to deal with through decades now. The committee felt that the punishment proposed was still less compared to the serious health risks food and drink adulteration posed. Adulteration has been an across the board issue with even baby food and milk having been found to have been mixed with hazardous substances, often in a manner that the adulteration cannot be detected with average instruments, requiring detailed scientific study of such products.

Offenders have often managed to avoid the law given how intricate their methods of operation have been and how widespread their networks.