“Poison on the plate: Food adulteration has become a national health emergency across the country.”
Gustakhi Maaf Haryana – Pawan Kumar Bansal
By our enlightened reader: Satish Mehra
Food Adulteration: Poison on the Plate, an Urgent Need for Drastic Action
India today is grappling with an invisible crisis—one that is no less dangerous than a war or a pandemic. This crisis is being served on our plates. Milk, curd, paneer, ghee, spices, edible oils, sweets and tea—items that form the foundation of daily nutrition for every Indian household—are increasingly found to be adulterated. What was once an exception has now become routine business.
From Parliament to the street, it can no longer be denied that food adulteration in India is not merely a case of consumer fraud; it has grown into a national public-health emergency.
Figures presented in the Rajya Sabha by a Member of Parliament were nothing short of shocking. When 71 percent of milk samples are found to contain urea, 64 percent contain neutralizers, and one out of every four food samples is adulterated, it is a damning indictment of administrative failure and a clear sign of how unsafe life has become for the ordinary citizen. Brick powder in spices, sugar syrup in honey, artificial colours in tea, and cheap vegetable oils replacing pure ghee in sweets—these are no longer aberrations. They are becoming the market norm. In effect, the Indian consumer today is not buying food, but poison.
This crisis is not limited to national statistics. Data emerging from Haryana makes the picture even more disturbing. Between 2020 and July 2024, as many as 16,144 food samples were collected in the state, out of which 4,398 samples—nearly 27 percent—failed quality tests. In districts like Gurugram, Faridabad, Mewat and Hisar, the failure rate ranged between 30 to 40 percent, revealing how deeply adulteration and substandard food quality have penetrated local markets.
These are not just numbers on paper; they represent a direct assault on public health. Milk and milk products are crucial for children’s growth, but when they are contaminated with urea and other hazardous substances, the damage extends across generations. Prolonged consumption of adulterated food harms the kidneys, liver, intestines and hormonal systems, while increasing the risk of cancer, allergies and weakened immunity.
The government does have laws and institutions in place. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is the apex regulatory body. Raids are conducted, samples collected, mobile labs like Food Safety on Wheels operate, and complaint apps exist. Yet the ground reality is grim. There are too few inspectors, inadequate laboratories, and weak monitoring mechanisms. When enforcement itself is underpowered, adulterators naturally become bolder.
Even more troubling is the data on penalties and prosecution. An affidavit submitted before the Punjab and Haryana High Court reveals that between January 2019 and December 2024, a total of 2,191 food adulteration cases in Punjab and Haryana resulted in fines amounting to about ₹3.04 crore, mostly related to milk and dairy products. However, prosecution was initiated in only two cases. This exposes the near absence of real deterrence. While Punjab provided detailed figures, Haryana’s case outcomes were largely limited to fines, with little clarity on prosecutions.
These facts raise a fundamental question: Are fines alone enough? When public health is at stake, monetary penalties cannot be a substitute for strict prosecution and meaningful punishment. Without fear of jail and sustained legal action, adulteration will continue to thrive.
Food safety is not the responsibility of any one state or political party—it concerns the future of the entire nation. Governments may showcase roads, bridges and power projects, but ensuring safe food for citizens is an even more basic duty. If the plate is unsafe, all claims of development sound hollow.
India must ensure that FSSAI becomes not a paper tiger, but a strong, independent and effective watchdog. Inspections, penalties and punishments must be enforced with equal seriousness. Consumers too must remain vigilant, report suspicious products and support legal action. This fight is not just the government’s—it is society’s collective responsibility.
Courts have begun to act through fines and limited prosecutions, but the pace must be faster and the hand far firmer. If we fail to make our plates safe today, future generations will never forgive us.
khabre junction