FRUITS and vegetables boost our immune system, are good antioxidants and have anti-ageing properties. But what happens if they have chemicals in them? Can we say the same thing?

Unscrupulous traders ripen fruits, especially mangoes, bananas, jackfruits and litchis using various toxic elements, such as ethane, calcium carbide and ethephon. Summer brings in different type of delicious fruits. And for a layman while purchasing fruits it is impossible to find out whether they are laced with any chemicals. These fruits pose a serious threat to health. Using chemicals to ripen fruits is a part of the lack of ethics in market economics that takes over when demand far outstrips the supply. Since the demand for fruits is soaring, some traders exploit it by indulging in unscrupulous ways. Waiting for the fruits to get naturally ripened would deny them the opportunity to make more profit.
It would be naïve to presume that government officials are unaware of these activities. The fact is this operation has been going on under the watchful eyes of the authorities. They carry out raids and seize some fruits only to fulfill their official obligations. Their actions lack seriousness. Ripe fruits are not appropriate to carry and supply as they get spoilt quickly. So traders pick unripe fruits and then use artificial methods to increase their shelf lives. It is not that fruits are ripened only in India. This is being done in other countries. But the traders and businessmen in those countries are at least cautious of the health hazards. In countries like the US, the ripening is done through gas emission systems or ethylene generator systems, depending on quality and shelf life desired. There are better oversight systems in the US and other countries.
Ripening is a process that makes fruits more palatable. A fruit becomes sweeter, less green, and softer as it ripens. The acidity of fruit increases as it ripens. In artificial ripening this process is missing. As a result the respiratory process of the fruit declines. In commercial fruit production and marketing, artificial ripening is used to control the rate of ripening for enabling transport and distribution. In this background the carbon dioxide as a result of restricted air supply starts accumulating around the produce. It is encouraging that Goa’s Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) is gearing up to put a check on the import of artificially ripened fruits into Goan market. Though the state does not have an analytical laboratory, they can ask the suppliers to send their consignment along with a certificate from the proper authorities in their states. The FDA may issue an advisory but that would not be in the general interest of the trade. In that situation even the genuine traders would have to suffer. This would create unnecessary panic among consumers. Besides, the FDA can depute teams of the doctors to carry out random checks in the markets across the state. This menace ought to be curbed and for this the government should extend every possible support to the FDA.