FOOD ADULTERATION

ACT,1954(Amended in
1964, 1976, 1986)
Act : An act to make provision for the
prevention of adulteration of food.

BE it enacted by Parliament in the Fifth Year

of the Republic of India
 WHAT IS FOOD
ADULTERATION?
 Food Adulteration is the act of deliberately
demeaning the quality of food offered for
sale either by admixing or replacement of
substandard substances or by the
substraction of valuable constituent or
ingredient.
 INTERODUCTION OF FOOD
ADULTERATION ACT
 The Act was promulgated by Parliament in 1954 to make provision
for the prevention of adulteration of food, along with the Prevention
of Food Adulteration Rules, 1955 which was incorporated in 1955 as
an extension to the Act. Broadly, the PFA Act covers food
standards, general procedures for sampling, analysis of food,
powers of authorized officers, nature of penalties and other
parameters related to food. It deals with parameters relating to food
additives, preservative, colouring matters, packing & labelling of
foods, prohibition & regulations of sales etc. Amendment in PFA
rules are incorporated with the recommendation made by the
Central Committee of Food Standards (CCFS) which has been
setup by Central Government under the Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare comprising members from different regions of the
country. The provisions of PFA Act and Rules are implemented by
State Government and local bodies as provided in the rules. 
 OVERVIEW

The Act provides the protection from adulteration / contamination of

food that may lead to the health risk of consumers. The Act deals
with the frauds also that can be perpetrated by the dealers by
supplying cheaper or adulterated foods. The Act regulates the use
of chemicals, pesticides, flavours and other additives in food
preparation. Through this Act there is a control over dumping of sub-
standards foods. Enrichment of flour, bread, or other cereals with
vitamins or minerals, iodization of salt, vitaminisation of vansapati
oil, addition of vitamin "C" in certain foods can be done under the
provision made in this Act. 
 Different definitions of food, adulteration, misbranding,
etc. are described in the Act (Sec 2). Centre is
empowered to appoint an Advisory committee called the
Central Committee for Food Standard (Sec 3). In any
dispute an adulterated sample need to be examined by
the court. The Central Food Laboratories give its final
opinion on the subject. These 4 laboratories are located
in Calcutta, Ghaziabad, Mysore and Pune. There are
approximately 82 food laboratories in the country at
district/regional/state level working for the purpose of the
PFA Act. Powers are given to the State Governments to
appoint Public Analyst and Food Inspectors who control
the food supply, storage, and marketing of foods. It is the
duty of inspector to draw and dispatch samples to a
laboratory. The Central Government is empowered to
define the standards of quality, control over production,
distribution and sale of food, packing, labeling, licensing,
and controlling the food additives.
 OBJECTIVE

1.      To protect the public from poisonous

and harmful foods
2.      To prevent the sale of substandard
foods
3.      To protect the interests of the
consumers by eliminating fraudulent
practices
 Meaning of Adulterant:
 Any material which is or could be
employed for the purposes of adulteration
 Definition of Food:
any article used as food or drink for human
consumption other than drugs and water and
includes
a.Any article which ordinarily enters into or is
used in the composition or preparation of human
food
b.Any flavouring matter or condiments and
c.Any other article which the Central Government
may having regard to its use, nature, substance
or quality, declare, by notification in the official
gazette as food for the purpose of this Act.
 Concept of Adulteration:-
 An article of food shall be deemed to be adulterated:
 If the article sold by vendor is not of the nature,
substance or quality demanded by the purchaser
 If the article contains any other substance which affects
the substance or quality thereof.
If any inferior or cheaper substance has been substituted
wholly or in part for the article so as to affect the nature,
substance or quality of the product
 If any constituent of the article has been wholly or in part
extracted to affect the quality thereof
 If the article has been prepared, packed or kept under
unsanitary conditions where by it has become
contaminated or injurious to health
 If the article consists wholly or in part of any
filthy, putrefied, rotten decomposed or diseased
animal or vegetable substance or is insect-
infested or is otherwise unfit for human
consumption
 If the article is obtained from a diseased animal
 If the article contains any poisonous or other
ingredient which renders it injurious to health
 If the container of the article is composed,
whether, wholly or in part of any poisonous or
deleterious substance which renders sits
contents injurious to health
 If any colouring matter other than that
prescribed in respect thereof is present in the
article or if the amounts of the prescribed
colouring matter which is present in the article
are not within the prescribed limits
 If the article contains any prohibited
preservative or permitted preservative in
excess of the prescribed limits
 If the quality or purity of the Article falls below
the prescribed limits of variability which
renders it injurious to health
 If the quality or purity of the article falls below
the prescribed standard or its constituents are
present in quantities not within the prescribed
limits of variability which renders it injurious to
health
SALE OF CERTAIN ADMIXTURES
PROHIBITED
 cream which has not been prepared
exclusively from milk or which contains
less than 25% of milk fat
 milk which containts added water
 ghee which contains any added matter not
exclusively derived from milk fat
 selling skimmed milk as whole milk
 mixture of two or more edible oils as an
edible oil
 vanaspati to which ghee or any other
substance has been added
 any article of food which contains any
artificial sweetener beyond the prescribed
limit
 turmeric containing any foreign substance
 mixture of coffee and other substance
except chicory
 dahi or curd not made out of milk
 milk or milk products containing
constituents other than of milk
 PROCEDURE FOR SAMPLING
AND ANALYSIS
 Any food Inspector can enter and inspect any place
where any article of food is manufactured or stored for
sale or stored for the manufacture of any other article of
food for sale or exposed or exhibited for sale or where
any adulterant is manufactured or kept and take samples
of such article of food or adulterant for analysis.
 notice will be issued by the Inspector in writing then and
there to the seller indicating his intention
 three samples are taken and the signature of the seller is
affixed to them
 one sample is sent for analysis to Public Analyst under
intimation to the Local Health Authority
 The other two samples are sent to the local health
authority for further reference
 IMPORTANT MISCELLANEOUS
PROVISIONS
 If any extraneous additions of colouring matter is added, the
same should be indicated on the labels
 From the labels the blending composition of ingredients should be
clear to the customer
 Sale of kesari gram individually or as an admixture is prohibited
 Prohibition of use of carbide (acetylene) gas in ripening is
prohibited
 Sale of ghee with Reichert value less than the permitted level
 Sale of admixture of ghee or butter is prohibited
 Addition of artificial sweetener should be mentioned on the label
 Sale of food colours without license prohibited
 Sale of insect damaged dry fruits and nuts prohibited
 Food prepared in rusted containers, chipped enamel containers
and untinned copper/brass utensils are treated as unfit for human
consumption
 Containers not made of plastic material which is not according to
the standards are not to be used
 Selling salseed fat or any other purpose except for bakery and
confectionery is prohibited
 Store of insecticides in the same premises where food articles are
stored is prohibited
 Milk powder or condensed milk can be sold only with ISI mark
 Use of more than one type of preservative is prohibited
 Crop contaminants beyond certain specified level is treated as
adulterant
 Naturally occurring toxic substances in the food material beyond
certain level is considered as unfit for human consumption
 No anti-oxidant, emulsifiers and stabilising agent is permitted
beyond the prescribed level
 No insecticides should be sprayed on the food items
 Oils can be manufactured only in factories licensed for such
purpose.
 PENALTIES
 There is a provision of penalty if anybody break the law for a
maximum imprisonment of 1 year or a minimum fine or Rs. 2000 in
the first instance and for imprisonment of 6 months which may
extend to 6 years and cancellation of license on the second or
subsequent offense. There is a penalty for violation of rules with
regard to seized article subsequently found adulterated and
contaminated with injurious substances. When consumed
adulterated food is likely to cause death or injury to the body or
amount to grievous hurt can be punished according to Section 320
of the Indian Penal Code. There is an imprisonment of 3 years but
which may extend to the life term and with the fine which shall not
be less than Rs. 5000. Guilt will be punished with imprisonment for
a term which shall not be less than six months and upto 3 years and
with fine upto one thousand rupees
 Role of Central Government
 The Ministry of Health & family welfare is responsible for ensuring sea
food to the consumers. The enforcement of the Act is done by the
state/UT governments.

 1. To review the provision of PFA Act, 1954, Rules and Standards in

consultation with the central committee for Food Standards, a statutory
Advisory Committee under the Act and its 9 Technical Sub-committees.

 2. To conduct examination for the Chemists for their appointment as

Public Analyst under the Act;

 3. To organise training programme for various functionaries under the Act

 4. To approve the State PFA Rules;

 5. To examine and approve the labels of Infant foods.

 6. To evaluate and monitor progress of implementation

of the Act in the state/UTs by collecting periodical reports
and spot visits;
 7. To liaise with National and International Food Quality
Control Organisation such as Directorate of Marketing
and Inspection (operating Agmark Scheme), Ministry of
Food Processing Industries (implementing Fruits
Products Order-FPO), Codes Alimentarius
Commission/World Trade Organisation;

 8. To ensure quality of food imported to India under the

provision of Act;

 9. To create consumer awareness; and

 10. To augment the food testing laboratories.

 ANALYSIS
 We should have to make provision for a
separate adulteration wing for complain and for
rapid action according to complaining.
 Penaulties should be increased.
 Food inspector may perform their duties in a
strict manner.
 We should have to run awareness program at
root level also develop a model regarding testing
of food products by household means so that
analysis public can also check adulteration.
 WHAT YOU CAN DO?
 Food Adulteration occur in rural as well as
urban areas. So the first option is to buy
branded  and ISI-marked products. Even if
these branded items cost a little extra, it is
worth paying the extra amount to safe
guard your health.
 If you have purchased any branded item and
doubt its quality, you can at least approach the
company concerned. Always remember to
preserve your grocery bills so that the company
can take necessary steps regarding the
complaint
 If any person manufactures for sale, stores, sell
imports or distributes any article of food which is
adulterated or misbranded, he is liable under the
PFA Act to be punished with imprisonment and
fined.  If you find that any food is adulterated,
then do not keep silent. Complain to Prevention
of Food Adulteration Department in your city /
town / district and report to the newspapers and
make more and more people aware to take joint
action.
THE END