Lok Sabha Question No. 1794 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-02-11
Subject: Chemically Treated Fruits
Ministry: CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS
Asked by: Anubhav Mohanty

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS & FERTILIZERS

## DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICALS & PETROCHEMICALS

## LOK SABHA UN-STARRED QUESTION No. 1794 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.02.2022

## Chemically Treated Fruits

## 1794.  SHRI ANUBHAV MOHANTY:

Will the Minister of CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS be pleased to state:-

- (a) whether  the  Government  is  aware  that  most  of  the  fruits  that  reach  the consumers are thoroughly chemically treated which is extremely harmful for the human health and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the  efforts  made  by  the  Government  to  ascertain  the  stages  such  as farmers/producers,  middleman  or  retailers  at  which  fruits  are  infested  with chemicals;
- (c) whether the Government has made any efforts to educate them for judicious use of chemicals in fruits or has any plans to bring some deterrent laws to check such practices; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER FOR CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS (Dr. MANSUKH MANDAVIYA)

- (a) The reports about treating of fruits with  non-permitted chemicals have been published in the media. The implementation and enforcement of provisions of Food Safety  and  Standards  Act,  2006  (FSS  Act)  and  Rules  and  Regulations  made thereunder primarily lies with State/UT Governments. Regular surveillance, monitoring,  inspection  and  sampling  of  food  products  ,including  fruits,  are  being carried out by food safety enforcement machinery of States/UTs and action as per penal provisions of FSS Act is taken against the defaulting Food Business Operators (FBOs).

FSSAI, has advised the Commissioners of Food Safety of States/UTs, from time to time, to carry out targeted enforcement and surveillance drives to check use of chemicals in fruits.

Separate data/details regarding cases of chemically treated fruits detected by the food safety authorities in States are not available. However, as per information received  from  them,  details  of  food  samples,  including  fruits,  analysed,  found adulterated/sub-standard/contaminated with chemicals/ misbranded and action taken thereon during the last two years i.e. 2019-20 and 2020-21 is at Annexure.

(b) to (d) As per sub-regulation 2.3.6 of Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants , Toxins and Residues) Regulations, 2011, fresh fruits and vegetables shall be free from rotting  and  free  from  coating  of  waxes,  mineral  oil  and  colours.  The  regulations, however, allow that fresh fruits may be coated with bees wax (white and yellow) or carnauba wax or shellac wax at levels not exceeding Good Manufacturing Practices under proper label declaration.

Further, under regulation 2.3.5. of Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011 use of acetylene gas, commonly known as Carbide  gas  in  artificial  ripening  of  fruits  has  been  prohibited.  As  an  alternative, ripening of fruits by using ethylene gas at a concentration upto 100 ppm depending upon  the  crop,  variety  and  maturity  is  permitted.  Ethylene  is  a  safer  alternative. Provisions of FSS Act do not apply to any farmer or fisherman or farming operations or  crops  or  livestock  or  aquaculture,  and  supplies  used  or  produced  in  farming  or products of crops produced by a farmer at farm level or a fisherman in his operations.'

However, in order to support primary food producers FSSAI has developed Codes of Practice aligned to the Codex Practices. These include Code of Hygienic Practice  for  fresh  fruits  and  vegetables  and  Code  of  Practice  for  Packaging  and Transport of fresh fruit and vegetables.

FSSAI has also developed a guidance document on Clean and Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Market and shared it with States/UTs for adoption and implementation to ensure the fruits and vegetables sold in the vegetable markets are sold in hygienic manner and are free from chemicals. A guidance note on artificial ripening of fruits has also been published.

Codes of Practices and Guidance Documents are uploaded on the website of FSSAI for  general  information  of  food  business  operators/traders,  consumers  and other stakeholders and their contents are also disseminated through social media.

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| Year     | No. of Samples Analysed   | No. of Samples found non- conforming   | Civil Cases           | Civil Cases          | Civil Cases        | Civil Cases            | Criminal Cases        | Criminal Cases       | Criminal Cases     | Criminal Cases         |
|----------|---------------------------|----------------------------------------|-----------------------|----------------------|--------------------|------------------------|-----------------------|----------------------|--------------------|------------------------|
| Year     | No. of Samples Analysed   | No. of Samples found non- conforming   | No. of Cases launched | No. of Cases decided | No. of Convictions | Penalties Raised (Rs.) | No. of Cases Launched | No. of Cases decided | No. of Convictions | Penalties Raised (Rs.) |
| 2019- 20 | 118775                    | 29589                                  | 27412                 | 18192                | 17345              | 563850454              | 4681                  | 828                  | 780                | 16107305               |
| 2020- 21 | 107829                    | 28347                                  | 24195                 | 15878                | 14817              | 499223333              | 3869                  | 520                  | 506                | 8323601                |