The problem of pure food supply
Neogi, S.
Bengal Public Health Journal 3: 141-150
1945
ISSN/ISBN: 0365-9852 PMID: 21018341 Document Number: 2744
The relation of food to disease is intimate and has been fully established. People have now generally realised the danger of taking unsound food. They. in Bengal are now aware how a heavy toll of death is taken by epidemic dropsy every year. It has recently been definitely known that the causative factor for this fell disease lies not in rice, as has hitherto been believed, but in some toxic adulterant of mustard oil namely argemone oil. The baneful effect of consumption of unwholesome and adulterated foods has been telling seriously on the health of the people. It is thus true that of the innumerable functions of the Public Health Authorities not the least important is the guardianship of the purity of food supplies to the public. In Bengal as in many parts of India there is widespread feeling that the trade in adulterated food-stuffs has assumed serious proportions and it being practised with comparative impunity. The check this evil practice we should have very rigid control measures. The success of any control scheme needs the following: (l) Good laws are to he framed, (2) Rules and Dye laws governing tho limits of purity, methods of analysis, requirements of hygienic condition of shops and manufactories etc. are to be correctly drawn up. (3) Proper machinery for food-testing laboratories with right type of skillful and trained Analysts is to he set up. For efficient operation of the control measure each District should have one such fully equipped laboratory and should also provide facilities for undertaking research work to solve various problems connected with the analysis and adulteration of food-stuffs. (4) As adulteration is rather widely practised in this province the number of samples collected for the purpose should be very large or in other words the sampling should he very frequent to strike terror into the hearts of the fraudulent vendors. (5) Fines inflicted on the offenders should be sufficiently high so as to make adulteration unprofitable. (13) Extensive researches and investigations on the chemistry of foodstuffs and on various problems relating to adulteration of foodstuffs and its detection are required to be carried out. (7) Active sympathy and hearty cooperation of the public are the essential prerequisites for the success of the administration laws. It is quite thinkable that no amount of food legislation is likely to be helpful unless an informed public opinion can he created in the country who shall demand only pure and wholesome food avoiding unwholesome and worthless substitutes and shall necessarily demand tho authorities to bring the offenders to justice.
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