The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will commence effective supervision and implementation activities to remove any possibility of artificial ripening of fruits with harmful and banned substances like calcium carbide or acetylene gas.
The regulator said that artificial ripening of fruits using banned substances poses a serious threat to the health of consumers. Taking under consideration the rampant use of banned calcium carbide and non-availability of an alternative ripening agent, the FSSAI has instead permitted the use of ethylene for ripening of fruits since 2016.
All states and Union territories have been directed by the FSSAI to initiate a strict drive against artificial ripening of fruits with harmful and banned substances like calcium carbide or acetylene gas.
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The regulator stated in the order that the commissioners of food safety of all states or Union Territories are directed to initiate effective surveillance and enforcement activities to rule out any possibility of ripening the fruits with the aid of harmful substances. They are also advised to do a similar exercise for vegetables where the level of pesticides will be checked.
Although strictly prohibited under the food law, calcium carbide and acetylene gas, are used for easy ripening of fruits like mango, papaya, banana and melons. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in state is on the lookout for cases of artificially ripened mangoes.
A senior FDA officer said that they have received notifications and they’ve been acting on such things since the past. This year, they are tightening all the ways in which these fruit vendors are selling their goods in the market.
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