Watch Out – Other packed food material is harmful too

Maggi is not the only food product with chemicals that can cause organ damage when consumed in excess. Almost every ready-made or pre-packaged food — pastas, sauce, potato chips and soft drinks — comes with a host of colouring agents, artificial sweeteners and preservatives that, doctors say, can adversely impact health.

“It will be impractical to put a blanket ban or advise people to stop eating packaged food,” said Dr Amitabh Parti, senior consultant, internal medicine, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon. “Government should instead put in place a mechanism to conduct regular audit to ensure chemical use is within permissible limits, and take stern action against defaulters.”

He said many companies use colours in excess to make the product more appealing at the same time putting consumers at risk of hyper-acidity, thyroid tumours, dermatitis and abdominal pain. Ingredients used to make plastic-based packaging materials, Dr Parti added, causes toxicity by way of “migration” to the foodstuff packed inside.

Excess salt, a major component and preservative used in ready-to-eat-meals, is a known cause of high blood pressure and is responsible for 57% heart attacks and 40% stroke cases, according to World Health Organization.

“A small amount of salt on a daily basis — WHO recommends less than 5 grams per day per person — is essential for nerve and muscle function. But, in India, people consume 8 to 9 grams of salt daily,” a senior health official said.

Senior research officer at Diabetes Foundation of India Swati Bhardwaj hazards that packaged foods may also be partially responsible for high cancer incidence rates.

“Many of the chemicals used for preservation and to add flavour are known to be carcinogenic. Lead and MSG, found in excess amount in Maggi noodle samples, are neurotoxins that can impair mental growth in children,” Bhardwaj added.

Use of phosphate as an additive and preservative remains a concern. Nutritionists say phosphate occurs naturally in the form of organic esters in meat, potatoes, bread and other food. “Natural phosphate is organically bound and only 40% to 60% of it is absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract. The additive phosphate, not organically bound, is absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract and is harmful,” a doctor said.