SPOTLIGHT/MAGGI/ RAMDAS RAY
Here, now, is perhaps the end of the Maggi mania
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When a child cries, ‘‘Mummy, I’m hungry,’’ it knows the mother will promptly look for the yellow pack in the kitchen shelf and feed it in a jiffy. Well, the brand name that came easy to every mother’s mind is the kids’ favourite 2-Minute Maggi noodle – the magic pack that turns into a tasty dish within no time. And, the millions who tasted it had developed a fancy for it. That no more may be case, however.
Here, now, is perhaps the end of the Maggi mania. Food authorities in some states have recently noticed that Maggi contains ingredients that are harmful to humans, especially children. May be, may not be. After all, perceptions change. All the same, the fancy food pack in shop shelves suddenly found they are having fewer takers. At least, that’s the case for now. And those like Bollywood sensation Madhuri Dixit who crooned about the product in TV ads are scurrying for cover.
Fact is, hardly anyone who had taken a fancy to Maggi had ever bothered to find out as to what were the ingredients that gave Maggi’s tastemakers the special feel it provided to our taste-buds. Hardly any parent checked the calorie count or the weight-inducing content of the food product they or their children consumed. We, the young and the old, all love to indulge in yummy, spicy and tasty fast-foods, and the quicker it reaches the table, the better. Taste comes first, safety comes last.
We are, obviously, in a complex society that is undergoing breathtaking changes; concepts, relationships and lifestyles are changing with rare ease and are transforming our lives. Changes are taking place in our food habits too. In the fast-paced city life, there is little of time to cook and eat in the traditional ways. Naturally, healthy and nutritious food is replaced by junk food – or fast food, that drives our taste and saves our time. While eating out, we check the menu and place the order; the food is ready on a platter at the table, and soon enough.
Junk food is both convenient and fashionable. In urban sprawls, the habit has caught on, and it has infatuated one and all, men and women — and kids who cannot keep their jaws together. Wafers, pizzas, burgers, chow-min, and Maggi, the offers are one too many.
The routine scenario is like this: When a child comes back home from school, tired, all that he or she does is sit in front of a television set, savouring a bowl of Maggi noodles. Mothers were game with it, too, as it took them no time to cook.
What however sent tongues wagging, of late, is about its (suspected or alleged) harmful effects. A survey undertaken by the Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration found that mono sodium glutamate (MSG) chemical and lead in Maggi and other Chinese delicacies were “beyond permissible limits.” MSG and lead beyond a certain limit is harmful especially for children, it was ruled. These ingredients may cause cancer or kidney failure and could lead to other dreaded diseases if consumed on a regular basis. Maggi packets were recalled from shop shelves in UP and some other states, following a crackdown.
Lead scare in not limited to Maggi, however. Chinese plastic toys are said to have lead content in them. Children chewing them or biting them are bound to be affected by its adverse effects. Every state government has a special department or wing that verifies the quality and safety of products distributed through markets. However, this entity called food and drugs authority has not been doing a job. It issues quality certificates after a superficial examination of products. Adulterated food items are flooding our homes through food distribution networks, but there has been hardly any action.
How much food do we consume in a lifetime? According to a recent survey conducted by the British government, an individual eats, on an average, more than 40-50tonne of food over a lifespan of 80 years. If each individual consumes five micro gram of MSG every day, imagine the enormity of its fatality.
In this context, the World Health Organisation’s prediction that by 2025 India will be having the largest number of diabetes and cancer patients rankles in our minds.
The writer is from the Regional Institute of Education campus, Bhubaneswar
