The recent release of pan-India surveillance data by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in the Lok Sabha has raised serious concerns about food safety in the country. In the 2022-23 analysis of 172,687 food samples, a staggering 44,421 were found non-compliant with safety standards, leading to the registration of 38,053 civil and 4,817 criminal cases.
As a media organization committed to public interest journalism, Tehelka’s Special Investigation Team was already preparing to expose a major retail scam when, in September 2024, a controversy erupted over the alleged use of adulterated ghee in the preparation of Tirupati Laddu Prasadam. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu claimed that during the previous administration led by former CM Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, substandard ingredients, including animal fat, were used in the sacred offering to Sri Venkateswara in Tirumala.
Having just passed through the Diwali season, which saw a surge of reports on food adulteration across India, the situation poses a significant health risk to consumers. A troubling observation is that the raw materials for sweets in some markets are often more expensive than the finished products.
Tehelka’s cover story, “What is in Store,” investigates how franchise owners of a prominent retail chain in Delhi-NCR are flouting regulations by selling unauthorized and substandard products, jeopardizing consumer health. This investigation reveals an entrepreneur running franchise retail stores in the region who is engaged in these unethical practices. The retail chain, India’s largest organized network for fruits and vegetables, operates 400 outlets in the National Capital Region and 23 in Bengaluru, serving over 150,000 customers daily. Owned by a brand under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India, this chain was initially launched to support urban consumers and farmers.
However, the owner of two stores in Noida, caught on Tehelka’s camera, confessed to selling substandard products without the knowledge of the chain’s senior officials. He remarked, “Honesty doesn’t pay. To make a profit, one has to resort to dishonesty.” He admitted to stocking unauthorized items sourced from outside markets, earning Rs1.5 lakh a month—a stark contrast to the meager profits from selling only the company’s approved products. Even if caught during a raid, he noted that the fines imposed are minimal.
This situation highlights the ineffectiveness of current FSSAI measures, including consumer awareness campaigns such as the DART (Detecting Adulterants with Rapid Testing) safety manual available on YouTube. Despite these efforts, issues like the adulteration of milk—using harmful substances such as detergents, urea, starch, glucose, and formalin—persist.
Two critical questions arise: Are food safety authorities doing enough to combat these malpractices? And is there sufficient consumer awareness regarding these health hazards? Food safety agencies must take a proactive stance, conducting rigorous inspections and enforcing strict penalties for non-compliance. Every failure to act not only undermines public health but also emboldens those who profit from compromising food safety.
