Despite the Hyderabad High Court’s recent ban on the use of artificial ripeners in raw food materials, the practice is rampant among farmers and vegetable vendors. The health implications of consuming such fruits and vegetables, laden with toxins and carcinogenic materials, may not be felt immediately but they act as a triggering factor for deadly ailments like cancer and ulcers and cause other ailments in the kidneys, liver, intestinal tract, teeth and brain, point out medical experts.
It’s not just about wax coated apples, but almost all fruits and vegetables commonly available in the market are being tampered with for higher profits by unscrupulous traders and farmers. Soak a packet of green peas and you will find the water turning green. Artificial ripening agents such as calcium carbide are being used to ripen fruits like mangoes and bananas and colours are being extensively used in fruits such as watermelon, papaya, pomegranates and vegetables such as capsicum, carrots, tomatoes and so on.
