Food authority cracks down on CaC2 use

Sindh Food Authority (SFA), the government body responsible for regulating and monitoring food businesses, has warned of strict action against use of Calcium Carbide for artificial ripening of fruits in the province. All those involved in fruit businesses, including traders, have been asked to immediately cease the use of said chemical to avoid being taken to task under relevant laws.

The ban on Calcium Carbide for artificial ripening of fruit items was introduced in 2019, in consideration of its hazardous effects on human health. However, the toxic chemical has continued to be an industry standard across Sindh, which has prompted authorities to adopt more stringent policing.

According to a notice recently published by the authority in a local newspaper, the chemical is most widely used for ripening of fruit items including mangoes, bananas, peach, apricot and papaya. It produces a gas called Acetylene, that induces artificial ripening. On the flip side, the gas also severely affects the digestive system, liver and other organs of the human body. “Continued and excessive use of fruit ripened through Calcium Carbide can cause cancer,” warned the public notice.

Sindh Food Authority focal person Mahfooz Qazi, who is also the authority’s director admin, told the Express Tribune that use of Calcium Carbide is banned around the world owing to its damaging side effects. “We first decided to impose a ban on Calcium Carbide in 2018 on recommendation of our scientific panel and had instead allowed the use of Ethylene for artificial ripening of fruits,” he said.

According to Qazi, fruit traders were granted a one-year grace period, till September 2019, due to non-availability of Ethylene in the market. Now Ethylene is easily available and the Sindh Food Authority is leaving no stone unturned towards the enforcement of the ban. “Besides regular vigilance teams, special teams of the authority are also engaged in monitoring food safety at district level,” he added.

The focal person also highlighted that mango traders in Sindh are still bent on using Calcium Carbide despite the availability of Ethylene in the market. “Ethylene is relatively costlier. Our vigilance teams have found mango traders to be using both the chemicals at the same time; one for colouring and other for ripening of mangoes.”

Rubbishing Qazi’s claims, however, Traders Association Chairperson Zahid Awan maintained that traders in Sindh are no longer using Calcium Carbide. “A majority of fruit traders have switched to using Ethylene, as prescribed by the government. The chemical is imported from China in the shape of sachets, which are affordable and easy to use and hence preferred by fruit traders over Carbide,” Awan asserted.

Besides Calcium Carbide, the authority had also banned other items on recommendations of the Scientific Panel in September 2018. These include sale of carbonated soft drinks, energy drinks, coloured and flavored snacks in canteens of schools and colleges. The Authority had also imposed a ban on the use of Rangkat Bleaching (Sodium Hydro Sulphate and Sodium Hydrochloride) in manufacturing of sweet items.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 15^th, 2021.