The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954

What is Food Adulteration?

Food adulteration is the addition of contaminants into food items or beverages to increase the quantity and decrease the price of the commodity. It is a major issue in India which lowers the quality of food and leads to serious illnesses in both humans and animals.

To curb these problems, it was necessary to form laws that could prevent such contamination. In India, since 1899, the food adulteration laws have been in legislation. Since it was the pre-independence era, states and provinces had their own rules and regulations for the prevention of food adulteration. Some of those acts are –

• The Calcutta Municipal Act, 1923
• The UP Pure Food Act, 1950
• The Punjab Pure Food Act, 1929
• The Bihar Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1948

These state or province-specific acts had different laws and regulations that did not have any uniformity. This created a barrier for interstate food promotion and transportation. There was a difference between the methods of analysis, punishment, implementation and standards. This made way for a more centrally organised law for the prevention of food adulteration.

Eventually, the Government of India approved the Food Adulteration Committee in 1943. The committee studied and reviewed the subject of Food Adulteration and hence advised for a central legislation. Thus, the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PFA) finally came into force in 1954.

The Act: Features

The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 extends to the entire country of India and it came into effect on June 15th, 1955. The act defines adulteration or deems an item to be adulterated when –

• If the item sold by the vendor does not meet the standards of the customer or the standards the article purports to be.
• If the item contains any element that lowers the quality of the article.
• If the article has been manufactured or stored in unhygienic conditions.
• If the item contains any element that is unfit for human consumption such as putrid, decomposed or rotten plant or animal substances.
• If the article contains an element taken from a diseased animal.
• If the article contains any poisonous or injurious substances.
• If the container of the article is made up from any injurious substance.
• If any colouring agent other than the prescribed ones are added in the article.
• If the article consists of any prohibited preservative or preservative quantity above the prescribed limit.
• If the quality and purity of the article does not meet the standards set by the committee whether it is injurious or non-injurious to health.

Table of Adulterants

Penalty

Upon violation of the laws found under the act, there are penalties that are levied on the vendor. Let us look at some of those circumstances –

• On breaking the law for the first time the vendor can get imprisoned for a duration of 6 months to 1 year or can be fined with 2000 rupees (depending on the situation).
• On breaking the law for a second time, there can be imprisonment for upto 6 years and also cancellation of licence.
• When an adulterated food is injurious to health, the vendor can be punished under the Section 320 of the penal code.

Responsibilities of Central Government

The prevention of food adulteration act looks to prevent the adulteration of the food and beverage items to be fit for human consumption, except water and drugs. This act gives the central government a variety of responsibilities which are stated below.

• To set up a Central Committee for Food Standards and central food laboratories for analysing and testing all kinds of articles.
• To review the sections of the PFA act along with the central committee for food standards.
• Organising training programmes for different sections of the act.
• Approving the state PFA rules.
• To check on the implementation of rules in states and union territories by collecting frequent reports and visitation.
• Conducting exams for appointing officials as analysts under the act.
• To approve the infant food labels.
• To check the quality of food being imported to India.
• Creating awareness among the consumers.
• To keep a check on the quantity and quality of food laboratories.

Food Inspectors

The central government or the state government can appoint an official representative by notifying them in the official gazette. The food inspector should have qualifications for the post and should not hold any financial position in the article he is investigating. The food inspector is deemed to be a public servant under section 21 of the Indian Penal Code.

The food inspector is authorised to collect samples from the vendors and send them to the laboratory for analysis. He/she can stop the article from being sold if it does not meet the food standards.

Check your knowledge by visiting MCQs on Food Adulteration.

This sums up the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act. Stay tuned with BYJU’S for more updates on NEET.

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