Food adulteration: Time to fight back

Lately, I have found myself wondering about the various types of foods/cuisines that are available out there. Every time I open my facebook page I am bombarded with people posting numerous pictures they enjoy at any of the chic restaurants and you cannot really blame them since the restaurants do a superb job of making the food very photogenic albeit not necessarily very healthy. Despite making such tremendous progress in digitalisation, private enterprise system, and a few infrastructural developments--we still lack in the most pressing issues of all-- the quality of our daily intake. My readers may not agree with me initially but may perhaps nod along as I try to explain.
As our daily intakes, we take carbs, whole grains, proteins, vitamins, fruits and vegetables. If one intends to be in good shape, watching out from that extra weight can help as well as increasing the portion of fresh products. Therefore, on one hand, we can eat more veggies that are seasonal and on the other, we cut down the quantity of starchy items. This is all for the sole purpose of a healthy lifestyle as it is recommended not only for our well-being but also for a sound mind. But, this article is not about chalking out a diet plan rather it is about pointing out those edibles we take every day with or without much considerations on what exactly we are living on.
Whether we are starving by taking less calories or just gobbling down chunk of fats, we are consuming great amount of food contaminants every single day, be it at home, on the streets or at a fine eatery. The usage of these contaminants started on a noble ground- food preservation. The reason is that the marketing channels in a developing country like ours are very poor where products have to follow a supply chain of traveling from manufacturers to distributors and finally the retailers. Nevertheless, the loss for individual distributors is very high due to lack of proper storage and transportation. With the aim of minimising possible loss, they came up with their own way of cost effective preservation method by applying food adulterants- more commonly termed as formalin. Although initially these worked for conservation of fishes only, marketers have gone beyond andstarted applying it on all kinds of fresh products. This is an alarming sign of the decayed state of our collective psyche.
Food spoils over time because of the actions of certain insects and microbes, reactions of food with components of air and natural biochemical reaction occurring within the food itself. Refrigeration slows down all these processes, yet a cheaper and sometimes the only choice of preservation available to distributors is to dip it into highly toxic chemical component, which immediately kills most of the microbes, changes the chemical composition of biological tissues and stops the natural way of decomposition. What they are unaware (or choose to remain unaware) is that such food preservatives are awfully dangerous and destructive for human health leading to various acute diseases. In recent times there has been a huge public outcry protesting against these practices. Repeated tests by laboratories and food inspectors also revealfrightening level and frequency of formalin. However, as we dig further in, it becomes apparent that we ought to blame our poor infrastructure and limited enforcement system for such unfortunate condition rather than accusing distributors.
There has to be an effort to educate our entire population through massive campaigns. Large corporations have to get involved for the sake of public interest just like the various advertisement campaigns showing the downsides of smoking, drinking etc. Even our children ought to be taught at a very tender age so that they grow up to be more responsible citizens than what we are today. But the central dilemma can still persist. Hence, we should seek for alternative solutions for food conservation. Baking soda or chlorinated water are effective and simple solution against expiration by moulds and bacteria. The chemicals required are inexpensive and widely available. Brief hot water dips can improve the shelf life of fruits especially mangoes in summer. Insulated containers packed with ice are also helpful for foodstorage and distribution. None of these methods would prove to be as good as refrigerated transport but it can still be feasible with careful consideration and proper aid from the government, if not by the ones at the root levels.
Unless we truly realise, educate ignorant distributors and fight back as a unified system, we are likely to suffer instead of having the basis of survival. It is about time we brought a change for people like you and me-- the general population of our society and reflect our ethics and social responsibilities. Obviously, we have to be hopeful and patient because any change, even a change for the better, is always filled with bottlenecks and hurdles of all shades.  
The writer is lecturer at the Department of Marketing and International Business, North South University.