Adulteration in food has been a head-ache for government, world over. Since food safety rules are strict in developed countries, people there can buy and eat food from outside without any fear for their life. A food company in these countries will be forced to shut down, if adulteration is found in their products. Not only that, sometimes the company officials could be jailed for life, if they fail to pay up the fine.

Though there are food safety rules in developing nations like India, alacrity is not shown to implement the rules. Mechanisms to implement the rules are also insufficient. The result: Any food product made adding banned ingredients can be sold fearlessly here since inspection happens only once in a while.

The fast-food culture that is killing humans by slow-poisoning of sorts has spread all over India. The new generation as a whole is becoming the slave of the culture.

Though food safety laws have been made more stringent in recent times, fast food business has been flourishing in recent times.

It has even taken deep roots in rural areas. Smelling danger, the Central government has been trying to curb the sale of the fast food.

Now, the aim of the government is to take steps to ban Trans Fat, an artificial fat used to add taste to food items and as its preservative. This will be done step by step.

As the first step, content of the Trans Fat will be reduced to 2 per cent (in the total fat content of a food item) from the now permissible 5 per cent. Trans Fat free food items is the ultimate aim of the World Health Organisation though. The Food Safety authority of India also aims to reach that goal soon in the country. However, reused cooking oil is more dangerous than Trans fat.

Most bakery items contains Trans Fat in more than permissible quality. This along with reused oils and other coloury chemicals used to increase taste in food items easily push people into diseased states. Though there are rules to check this, it is most often taken lightly.

Children and teenagers are the main consumers of such coloury tasty adulterated products.

Compared with butter and ghee, Trans Fat that is manufactured by adding Hydrogen to begetable oil is cheap, a reason why commercial institutions use this. Since profit is the basic goal of any business, the health aspects of the people who consume such foods are not at all taken seriously.

It is here that governments have to intervene. There are food products that destroy even the taste buds in our tongue. Children are mostly the victims. They even develop a kind of addiction for such foods. Though medical world hold awareness campaigns against this, no concrete action is seen.

The fast food culture has also dangerously invaded Malayalees, who used to depend mostly on natural food and lived in harmony with nature.

Frequent inspection in food manufacturing units and hotels is the need of the hour. The units should be allowed to function only after they get licence from the authorities concerned. Now, hundreds of such institutions are functioning without licence.

In order to enhance the functioning of Food Safety department, there is a need for more food safety officers and labs in all districts to check food samples.

In reality, the Food Safety is a far cry even now.