Commerce Association

Anyone who consumes goods is a consumer. Consumers get exploited in the market. They respond to advertisements and buy goods. Generally advertisements do not give all the information that a consumer needs to know or wants to know about a product. Simply speaking, consumer is a person who consumes or uses various goods and services. Goods may include consumable goods (like wheat flour, salt, sugar, fruits, etc.) or durable consumer goods (like television, refrigerator, toaster, mixer, bicycle, etc.). Services that we buy may include electric power, telephone, transport service, theatre service, etc. It is to be noted that a consumer is one who buys goods and services for use.

Some of the common methods of exploitation are: 1. Under weight and under measurements 2. High prices 3. Duplicate Articles 4. Adulteration and Impurity 5. Lack of safety Devices 6. Rough behavior and Undue 7. The consumers are generally not aware of their rights and duties.

You know that today consumers face various problems on account of competition in the market, misleading advertisements, availability of inferior quality of goods and services, etc. Hence protection of consumers interest has become a matter of serious concern for the Government as well as public bodies. In other words, if consumers are to protect themselves from being exploited or cheated, they have to be given certain rights so that they are in a position to ensure that sellers of goods and service providers are more careful in dealing with them.

(i) Right to safety

(ii) Right to be informed (iii) Right to choose (iv) Right to be heard (v) Right to seek redressal

(vi) Right to consumer education

1. Be Safe and Responsible 2. Be Informed and Educated 3. Choose Wisely 4. Be heard 5. Be Compensated

There is a well known saying that there cannot be rights without responsibilities. Having examined the consumer rights and the purpose served by them, it is necessary to consider whether consumers should also be responsible enough to be entitled to exercise their rights. For instance, to be able to exercise their right to be heard, consumers should avail of the opportunities to know and keep informed about consumer problems. To exercise their right to seek redressal of complaints, consumers must take all precautions to choose the right goods at the right price and learn how to use the products to prevent injury or loss. Specifically, the responsibilities of consumers may include the followings:

(i) Responsibility of self-help (ii) Proof of Transactions (iii) Proper claim (i) Proper use of Product/services

The Prevention of Food and Adulteration Act, 1954 and Rules, 1955 Maharashtra Prevention of Food Adulteration rules 1962 The Maharashtra Country Liquor Rules, 1973. The Infant Milk Substitute, Feeding Bottles & Infant Food Act, 1992 and Rules, 1993. The Cigarette Act 1975

Adulteration is defined as a process by which the quality of the item is debased by adding some inferior ingredients. The adulterants are classified in to two types. They are Intentional adulterants and Incidental adulterants. Intentional adulterants

Some traders mix some adulterants like brick powder, chalk powder, dried papaya seeds, etc., to the food items with the intention to make more profit. Though the state and the central government have passed a good number of legislation's to prevent adulteration the lack of consumer awareness enable the unscrupulous adulterators to indulge in these sort of illegal activities.

Incidental adulterants Some examples for incidental adulterants are dead flies and droppings of birds. These adulterants are found in the packed food items due to negligence of work and lack of proper manufacturing and packaging facilities.

"Prevention of Food Adulteration Act It is a act which is formulated to monitor the quality and purity of the food items. It mainly focus on prevention of adulteration of foods. There are many factors which decides whether a food is adulterated or not. Some factors are stated below: 1. It should not contain excessive preservatives, colors and emulsifiers. 2. It should not be obtained from a infectious animal. 3. It should not contain any rotten or decomposed substances. 4. It should be manufactured and packed under sanity environments. 5. It should not contain any poisonous substance which may be hazardous to the consumer.

The best way to curtail food adulteration is to enhance consumer awareness. So, here are a few tips for identifying and preventing food adulteration and misbranding:

Consumers should check the product labels for manufacture and expiry dates
Food items should be bought only from trusted shops Ensure that the package is sealed and not tampered with

Try preserving your shopping bills as proof in case the manufacturer seeks it for the resolution of doubts or queries. Buy only branded or government certified products. Although branded products are a bit expensive, but they are good quality goods. In case any defect is found the consumer can approach the manufacturer in case of a defect. In case if consumer finds any adulterated products he should speak up.

Chilli powder In almost all Indian dishes in we use chilli powder. The adulterant which is used in chilli powder is saw dust and brick powder. Test to detect the adulterant 1. Take a cup of water. 2. Take a spoon of chilli powder and sprinkle it on the surface of water. 3. The color of the water will change. 4. The saw dust will float in water.

Milk Milk is a part of our daily diet. Milk is consumed by people of all ages. The adulterant which is used in Milk is mashed potato, water and starches. Test to detect the adulterant 1. Place a drop of milk on a vertical surface and tilt the surface to make if flow. 2. Adulterated milk will flow soon without leaving the trace of milk.

Salt Almost all people would like to have food with salt except for people with health ailments like Blood Pressure and diabetics. Salt gives life to a dish. The adulterant which is used in salt is chalk powder. Test to detect the adulterant 1. Mix a table spoon of salt in a glass of white. 2. The water will turn white if there is a presence of chalk powder in the salt.

Tea dust Most of the people consume tea and coffee because they consider it is capable of relieving their stress. The adulterant which is used in tea dust is used tea leaves which is dried, powdered and colored. Test to detect the adulterant 1. Sprinkle the tea dust on a white colored filter paper. 2. You can see some colored spots in yellow and red.

Food Adulteration Case

New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh reported the maximum number of food adulteration in the country, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said Tuesday adding that the country's average adulteration stood at 11.14 percent. Replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Azad said that in 2010, about 3,789 cases were filed in Uttar Pradesh and 540 people were convicted. With 806 cases and 18 convictions, Rajasthan came in second followed by Gujarat with 683 registered cases and 99 convictions. 'The average adulteration in food items including milk products on the basis of samples collected in 2009 is 11.14 percent, said Azad. Considering the need for comprehensive approach to food safety, a new law- Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 came into force Aug 5, 2011 replacing the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954.

 Avani Dodia Julianna Ratos Pooja Hindlekar

Shweta Singh

Thank You