Editor’s Note
This report on the adulteration of a common kitchen staple underscores a critical public health concern. The methods described highlight the need for continued vigilance from both authorities and consumers regarding food safety.
Adulteration in food items like flour, rice, milk, oil, ghee, and sugar is common, but are you aware that spices in your kitchen, including cumin, are also being artificially made using chemicals? According to a TOI report, Delhi Police has busted a racket producing fake cumin. From a factory in the Bawana area, 485 sacks of fake cumin were recovered. Each sack contained 20 kg of adulterated cumin. These people were making fake cumin using stone dust, semolina, and grass paste. This fake cumin was sold in wholesale markets of Khari Baoli and in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Acting on local tip-offs, FSSAI and police conducted a joint raid.
Consumption of fake cumin can cause serious harm to your health. It can lead to dangerous health problems ranging from cancer to kidney stones. FSSAI has explained how to identify fake cumin and what its dangers are.
According to health experts, the chemicals and dyes used in fake cumin can cause cancer. They were preparing fake cumin by mixing good cumin, stone dust, semolina, and grass paste. It looked exactly like real cumin. The layer of soil and cement can cause kidney stones and urinary tract diseases.
Health experts have warned about the dangers of consuming this fake cumin. According to them, the chemicals and dyes added to fake cumin can be carcinogenic. The chemicals and dyes used for coloring fake cumin can cause cancer.
In addition, the layer of soil and cement can cause kidney stones or urinary tract diseases. The layer of soil and cement on the cumin can cause kidney stones or urinary tract diseases.
This is not the first time such a case has come to light. In 2018, the Gujarat Food and Drug Administration (FSSAI) caught a trader in Unava near Unjha. He was making fake cumin by applying white and brown stone powder on poor-quality fennel seeds.
Is the cumin you are eating adulterated with grass seeds? Does it have a layer of charcoal? To check this, FSSAI has suggested an easy method.
