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Adulterants are chemical substances which
should not be contained within other
substances (eg. food, beverages, fuels or
pesticides) for legal or other reasons.
Adulterants may be intentionally added to
more expensive substances to increase visible
quantities and reduce manufacturing costs, or
for some other deceptive or malicious
purpose. Adulterants may also be accidentally
or unknowingly introduced into substances.
The addition of adulterants is
called adulteration.
Water is used for diluting milk.
Put simply, food adulteration is the act of
deliberately adding something to the food,
intentionally debasing the quality of the food
offered for sale either by the admixture or
substitution of inferior substances or by the
removal of some valuable ingredient
Common foods, beverages, food ingredients, cosmetics
and hygienic products were demonstrated not to cause
false positive results when tested 30 min after their
consumption. Evaluations of two commercial oral fluid
adulterants, Clear Choice ® Fizzy Flush and Test'in Spit
n Kleen Mouthwash suggest their mechanism of action is
the clearing of residual drugs of abuse compounds
through rinsing of the oral cavity.
S.No Adulterant Foods Commonly Involved Diseases or Health Effects
Adulterants in food
1 Argemone seeds Mustard seeds Epidemic dropsy,
Argemone oil Edible oils and fats Glaucoma,
Cardiac arrest
2 Artificially coloured As a substitute for cumin Injurious to health
foreign seeds seed,
Poppy seed, black pepper
3 Foreign leaves or Tea Injurious to health, cancer
exhausted tea leaves,
saw dust artificially
coloured
4 TCP Oils Paralysis
5 Rancid oil Oils Destroys vitamin A and E
6 Sand, marble chips, Food grains, pulses etc. Damage digestive tract
stones, filth
7 Lathyrus sativus Khesari dal alone or Lathyrism (crippling spastic
Mixed in other pulses paraplegia)
Food is the primary essential for proper maintenance of human health. Access to pure,
nutritious food, free from any type of adulteration is the genuine expectation of every
citizen. The department of Prevention of Food Adulteration, Delhi has been entrusted the
job to get the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act and the Rules made there under
implemented in the Union Territory of Delhi. Although Sections 272 & 273 of Indian
Penal Code were already in existence when the PFA Act, 1954 and the relevant rules
came into force, but the same were not considered by the legislature to be sufficient for
preventing the adulteration of food. The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act was
enacted in the year 1954 to strengthen the system for preventing adulteration of food.
The Central Government framed Rules known as the "Prevention of Food Adulteration
Rules, 1955" and these are amended by it from time to time (the last major one being
effective w.e.f. 19/03/2009). The responsibility of implementation of the Prevention of
Food Adulteration Act and the Rules made there under vests in the State Governments
and the Union Territories. Accordingly Delhi also has created its own organisation for
implementation of the Act and the Rules. At present it needs to be strengthened and
restructured in view of upcoming implementation of Food Safety and Standards Act,
2006.