On a visit to the Wieliczka salt mine in Krakow, Poland, this author was told salt was called white gold in medieval Europe due to its vital role in food preservation, making salt mines an incredibly rich and strategic asset.
The rotten meat scandal in Kashmir, exposed during regular food safety inspections this month, highlighted poor monitoring, dishonest suppliers, and betrayal of Kashmiris’ trust in the meat used in their favourite wazwan, kebabs, and mutton curries.
Food scandals involve fraud (deception about food quality, composition, adulteration, mislabelling, misrepresenting origin, or selling products as “organic” when they are not), contamination, or poor hygiene and safety practices during production, processing, or handling in the food chain, and have serious consequences for public health and the food industry.
KILLER FOOD SCANDALS:
Well-known killer food scandals include 6 deaths and 294,000 ill children due to Chinese milk and infant formula contaminated with melamine in 2008, nine deaths and at least 714 people ill due to food poisoning from Salmonella typhimurium bacteria contaminated peanut products supplied by the Peanut Corporation of America in late 2008 and early 2009, more than 30 deaths and more than 3000 sick due to E.coli bacteria contaminated Egyptian fenugreek seeds in Europe in 2011, 33 deaths and 147 people ill due to melons infected with Listeria bacteria in the USA in 2011, one fatality and hundreds hospitalized in serious condition due to two brands of ready-to-eat salads containing canned beans contaminated with Clostridium botulinum bacteria toxin in Russia in June 2024.
India has experienced numerous deadly cholera epidemics following faecal contamination of food and water due to inadequate sanitation, contaminated water supplies, and open defecation, especially during monsoon seasons.
TOXIC CONTAMINATION:
In Agatha Christie’s short story “The Herb of Death”, guests at a dinner party fall ill, with one death, after consuming foxglove grown with sage and mixed into the sage-and-onion stuffing. In her novel “A Pocket Full of Rye”, a wealthy man is initially suspected of dying from food poisoning.
In “Flight into Danger” by Arthur Hailey and John Castle, food poisoning causes airline pilots to fall ill, forcing others to take control of the plane.
Toxic nightshades may be mistaken for Purslane, a common edible garden weed. Datura, black nightshade, potato berries, and pokeweed are weeds that have potent tropane alkaloids and solanine toxins, and can grow with and contaminate leafy green vegetables. Their toxins can remain in the edible portions of the contaminated vegetable even after processing.
The increased prevalence of toxic weeds across Europe and elsewhere is a major concern for vegetable growers and processors, as they are highly toxic to humans and animals.
TOXIC FOOD:
Many mushrooms are poisonous, and amatoxin is the most common cause of mushroom fatalities every year. Toxic seafood poisoning occurs due to marine toxins or toxic metal contaminants. Toxins from harmful algal blooms can accumulate in shellfish and larger fish, causing neurological and gastrointestinal symptoms.
Other toxins include tetrodotoxin from pufferfish and scombrotoxin from improperly handled fish. Toxic metals and radioactive contaminants can also accumulate in seafood through pollution, posing long-term health risks.
SURFACE CONTAMINATION BY PESTS:
Rodents, cockroaches, flies, and other insects contaminate food by transferring pathogens, bacteria, and viruses from filth like sewage, decaying matter, and garbage onto food and food-handling surfaces through their droppings, urine, hair, and body parts (exoskeletons, etc.).
They also contaminate food by damaging food packaging and products. Rodents spread Salmonella, Hantavirus, and Leptospirosis through their droppings and urine. Cockroaches carry bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli. Flies transmit pathogens like Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, and parasitic worm eggs to food.
Thus, these pests lead to life-threatening foodborne illnesses.
WORM INFESTATIONS:
Parasitic worms like Ascaris lumbricoides (roundworm), Taenia (tapeworm), and Trichinella eggs or larvae, and protozoa like Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora, Toxoplasma gondii, can contaminate meat or produce, or water through contact with infected human or animal faeces, or use of untreated sewage water to irrigate crops.
Transmission often occurs by consuming unwashed produce, undercooked contaminated meat, or drinking water that contains the parasites’ eggs or cysts, or using it in food preparation or for washing plates and vessels. These infestations can cause death.
FOOD POISONING:
Food poisoning is caused by consuming food or drinks contaminated with infectious organisms like bacteria (e.g., Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, Campylobacter), viruses (e.g., Norovirus, Hepatitis A), and parasites (worms and protozoa like Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Ascaris, Toxoplasma gondii, Taenia, and Trichinella), or by ingestion of harmful toxins (e.g., heat-stable cytotoxins and enterotoxins of Staphylococcus aureus, heat-sensitive neurotoxin of Clostridium botulinum, six toxins of Clostridium perfringens, mould mycotoxins that can survive food processing, and toxic weeds and foods) or chemicals.
Contamination can occur at any point during food production or preparation, particularly through unhygienic handling, undercooked foods, or improper storage that allows pathogens to multiply rapidly.
When in doubt, discard the food.
IDENTIFY SPOILED FOOD:
Stale food has some loss of texture and taste, and unless spoiled, is edible. “Best If Used By/Before” dates on food packs indicate peak quality, while “Use By” dates are for safety, especially for perishable foods, and should not be ignored.
Meat, poultry, fish, dairy, berries, soft fruits, and cooked leftovers are perishable foods that spoil easily, sometimes within hours. Spoilt food is unpalatable due to the growth of microorganisms (like bacteria and fungi), chemical reactions (like oxidation leading to rancidity in fats, and changes in colour and flavour, or enzyme action in fruits, e.g., papain breaks down proteins in papaya), or physical factors (like temperature and moisture).
It has mould, unusual or foul odour, or discoloration, tastes sour, bitter, or off-taste, feels soft, sticky, and slimy, and looks or smells bad, and should be discarded.
DO NOT SCAVENGE:
Rotten food in an advanced stage of decay and decomposition due to bacteria and fungi can only be tolerated by scavengers like vultures, with their highly acidic stomachs and specialized gut bacteria, eagles, condors, crows, hyenas, jackals, coyotes, and raccoons, which have robust digestive systems and natural immunity, and blowflies, flesh flies, and carrion beetles.
While pigs are omnivorous, hardy animals that scavenge, consuming spoiled or mouldy food can lead to severe health problems and death. Toxins ingested by animals get stored in their fat, making the meat and milk unsafe for human consumption.
HIGH-RISK FOODS:
Protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products are highly susceptible to rapid bacterial growth, while unsaturated fat-rich foods like fish undergo rancidity due to oxidation on exposure to air or hydrolysis on reacting with water or the action of lipase enzyme produced by microbes.
Starch-based foods like grains and dried beans are less perishable because they are less hospitable to microorganisms. Moist and warm foods spoil rapidly, especially in summer and rainy seasons.
Spoiled meat has a rancid, strong, or unpleasant smell, a slimy texture, or mould and a dingy brown or green colour.
For eggs, perform a “float test” in a bowl of water: a fresh egg sinks, an older but still good egg stands on its end, and a spoiled egg floats. If an egg, on cracking it open, smells sulphurous or has a foul odour, or is discoloured, discard it.
Rain-damaged cereals (especially maize), seeds, sprouts, and nuts (especially groundnuts and tree nuts like pistachios), and those harvested or stored in warm and humid conditions, should be checked for mould, as these may contain aflatoxins and other mycotoxins. Any bulging or damaged food container or can indicates spoiled food inside.
CHECK YOUR FOOD AND STAY SAFE:
Unscrupulous suppliers may clean and repack spoiled meat to cheat you. Thoroughly inspect all green vegetables for weeds, remove them before thoroughly washing the greens to remove any remnants, and then cook them thoroughly, as toxins may persist.
Pasteurizing raw milk and dairy products is important to kill harmful bacteria. Seeds sold for planting are often coated with fungicide and pesticide and should not be consumed.
Maintain good hygiene in kitchens and food preparation areas, as flies and cockroaches can contaminate the food, kitchen surfaces, and appliances. Wash hands, surfaces, and utensils with hot, soapy water before and after handling any food, especially raw eggs or meat, to prevent bacterial contamination.
Wash all produce thoroughly before eating, even if you plan to peel it. Microbes may transfer from raw to cooked foods or ready-to-eat items via shared surfaces, equipment, or hands. Keep raw meat and poultry separate from other foods and use separate cutting boards for them.
Refrigerate food promptly, as food left for a few hours at room temperature allows bacteria to multiply rapidly. Covering food reduces airborne contamination. Storing food in airtight containers or refrigeration slows down the rate of microbial growth and chemical reactions.
The food industry uses antioxidants, vacuum sealing, or nitrogen packing to prevent oxidation. Warming or reheating any sealed or refrigerated food will hasten spoilage, and this cannot be prevented by refrigeration again, unless thoroughly cooked or boiled again to detoxify and kill invisible microbes and fungi.
Vomiting and diarrhoea due to food poisoning are your body’s way to get rid of the harmful substances. Do not self-medicate.
Dr. P.S. Venkatesh Rao is a Consultant Endocrine, Breast & Laparoscopic Surgeon, and a polymath, in Bengaluru.
