Nourishment without fear

Adulteration methods have grown increasingly sophisticated, using chemicals and dyes that mimic the texture, colour, and taste of genuine food, making detection difficult for the average consumer. The final enabler is the consumer's blind spot: many buyers remain unaware of adulteration or unsure how to report it, allowing the practice to thrive unchecked. This is the perception many of us share ~ that despite laws and agencies, the menace continues because enforcement is patchy and offenders often escape with impunity

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Food adulteration is one of the most insidious threats ~ a silent poison that creeps into our kitchens and onto our plates.

We know the danger, yet see no clear answer except the impossible one: not to eat. But how long can society live in fear of its own food? The tragedy is sharpest for those among the poor who rely on cheap street meals, often their only affordable option, and are fed this poison day and night.

What began decades ago as petty tampering for profit has now grown into a ruthless menace that erodes trust, endangers health, and strikes at the very foundation of food security. To dismiss it as unsolvable is to surrender to cynicism. The menace is complex, but it is neither inevitable nor beyond remedy. The answers exist ~ they only demand collective will.

The persistence of food adulteration is not accidental. It is driven by economic greed, enabled by systemic gaps, and sustained by consumer ignorance. Producers and middlemen adulterate food to maximize profits, adding water to milk, mixing cheaper oils into expensive ones, or colouring fruits to look fresh. Regulatory bodies, though vigilant, often struggle with limited manpower and sprawling supply chains that make constant monitoring nearly impossible.

Meanwhile, adulteration methods have grown increasingly sophisticated, using chemicals and dyes that mimic the texture, colour, and taste of genuine food, making detection difficult for the average consumer. The final enabler is the consumer's blind spot: many buyers remain unaware of adulteration or unsure how to report it, allowing the practice to thrive unchecked. This is the perception many of us share ~ that despite laws and agencies, the menace continues because enforcement is patchy and offenders often escape with impunity.