Unsafe to eat: How banned toxic ripening makes fruits hazardous

“Aap aam kaise pakate hain?” (How do you ripen your mangoes), I ask Sudeep Kumar from Uttar Pradesh, who has been selling fruits in Chandigarh and Mohali for the past seven-eight years. “Masala se,” comes the matter-of-fact reply. When asked how he manages to use the banned masala to ripen mangoes, he shrugs: “Market mein 75 per cent aam to issi se pakate hain. Yeh safe hai.” (Nearly 75 per cent of mangoes in the market are ripened with this. It’s safe.) Masala is also used to ripen bananas and papayas, he says. Grapes, he claims, are already laden with chemicals by the time they reach the vendors. Sudeep appears unaware of the health risks linked to calcium carbide — commonly known as masala — a carcinogenic chemical banned for fruit ripening. Nor does he know about the safer alternative: using ethylene gas to trigger a fruit’s natural ripening process. In a recent directive, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) urged states and union territories to step up inspections and launch special enforcement drives against the illegal use of non-permitted ripening agents, synthetic colouring and coating of fruits with non-approved waxes. The directive specifically called for strict vigilance at fruit markets and mandis to check the widespread use of harmful agents. The FSSAI also flagged violations involving the unethical use of ethephon, where food business operators were found dipping fruit directly into the solution instead of using controlled ethylene chambers as per the standard operating procedures. While calcium carbide is strictly prohibited for artificial ripening under the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011, SOPs must be followed for the use of ethephon, which releases ethylene gas that promotes fruit’s natural ripening. These SOPs require an ethylene ripening chamber with controlled temperature and humidity. No source of ethylene is permitted to come in direct contact with the fruits. A 500 mg sachet of ethephon is sufficient to ripen 10 kg fruit. It takes about four to six days for the ripening process. “Year after year, we see directives being issued to check this deadly menace, but the guidelines are flouted with impunity,” says agricultural scientist Dr Devinder Sharma. “The Act came in 2011, but even today, ripening with masala continues unabated. It’s as widespread as the drugs problem. Whether it is mango, papaya or banana, chances are it’s heavily contaminated. Sadly, the common man has no way of knowing whether a fruit has been ripened with carcinogens like masala. Clearly, the current measures aren’t enough. Stern, exemplary action is needed against violators,” he adds. “Calcium carbide contains the highly volatile acetylene gas, which poses serious health risks. Apart from being carcinogenic, it can cause blisters on contact, and may even trigger explosions on coming into contact with water. Fruit ripened with calcium carbide tends to ripen unevenly,” warns Dr BVC Mahajan, Director, Punjab Horticultural Post-Harvest Technology Centre, PAU, Ludhiana. Natural ripening, though ideal, is slow and unpredictable, says Mahajan. “To ensure a steady supply, the FSSAI recommends the use of ethylene gas, which is safer. Even the Food and Drug Administration in the United States exempts ethylene gas from any residue limit when used under controlled conditions for ripening and degreening fruits and vegetables. On the recommendation of the post-harvest centres of excellence at PAU in 2008, the Punjab government installed natural ripening chambers across the state. Since then, many private players, too, have invested in these chambers. However, the possibility of malpractice cannot be ruled out, especially among small traders. Such violations need to be checked — people’s health is at stake,” he adds. Shailender Kaur, Director of Horticulture, Punjab, shares: “As many as 22 ripening units have been established across the state under the National Horticulture Mission. Eleven of these have been set up by the Punjab Mandi Board. The total ripening capacity in the state is 3,500 metric tonnes.” An individual beneficiary can establish a chamber with a maximum capacity of 300 MT, which costs Rs 3 crore. “On this, the Centre offers a 35 per cent subsidy (Rs 1.05 crore),” says Kaur, adding that 17 private ripening units are currently operational in the state. The 2023-24 annual report of the Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries reveals that there are 800 ripening chambers in the country — far short of the estimated requirement of 9,000. A startling gap, considering India produces nearly 50 per cent of the world’s mangoes and 25 per cent of bananas. Except for the repeated FSSAI directives, hardly any data is available in the public domain to assess the scale of this menace. In the absence of adequate enforcement, vendors and traders continue to exploit loopholes and flout the norms with impunity, putting everyone’s health at risk.

Health