Question

What is food adulteration? Mention any one harmful effect of food adulteration.

Answer 1

Food adulteration is the act of intentionally debasing the quality of food offered for sale either by substitution of inferior substances or by the removal of some valuable ingredients.

Example: Addition of melamine into milk, the addition of Vanaspati into Ghee. Honey is adulterated with sugar, brick powder in chilly powder.

Harmful effects of food adulteration are :

(i) Food adulteration reduces the quality of the food and this weakens the health of the one who consumes them, thereby increasing the cost of health care.
(ii) It can also cause heart diseases, loss of eye-sight or tumour.