Are Stickers on Fruits and Vegetables safe?

Image credit The Tribune

Introduction

Now a days, whenever you go to the market to buy fruits or vegetables. You have noticed that some seller are selling fruits or vegetables on which sticker are pasted. Earlier it was not so, this trend came to India only few years back. When Indian merchant started importing of fruits to sell in Indian market. Foreign vendors were using the stickers to track the products & also to differentiate the quality of products. 

Stickers were used as a tool to get information about product quality. But now being used by most of the vendors in India just to show their products premium or to hide defects/deficiencies exist in the product. We can say stickers are being misused in our market, just to make the buyer fool. Ultimate purpose of the stickers are being defeated here. 

Effect on Consumer Health

The Stickers are directly applied on individual fruit & vegetable skin with adhesive. Adhesive used to paste the stickers may harmful for consumer. It's also possible that adhesive may be consumed along with fruit or vegetable. Harmful chemicals are present in adhesive. Fruits & vegetables being sold in open market came under direct sunlight, heat etc and might possible that adhesive's chemical enter into product.

Advisable to consumer to reduce sticker effect on their health

• It's not necessary that products having sticker are of premium quality, must check the quality before buying them. Don't trust on stickers only.
• Always remove sticker from fruits & vegetables before consuming.
• Always wash the fruits & vegetables with clean water properly before consuming.
• Must peel or remove or cut the skin of fruit and vegetables, specially the area where sticker was pasted.
• Avoid to buy fruits & vegetables having sticker, if you have same or better quality fruits & vegetables without sticker.
• Change the mindset that fruits & vegetables have stickers are better quality than without sticker products.
• Always ask to vendor for without sticker product.

Advisable to traders for sticker

• Avoid use of stickers if no relevant information being provided by stickers.
• Avoid to use sticker directly on fruit or vegetable skin.
• Any functional barrier should be used to avoid direct application of sticker on fruit & vegetable.
• Use better quality sticker, having good quality ink. Which don't migrate into food.
• Adhesive should be of such quality which is not harmful or adverse effect on human health.
• Educate the consumer about use of sticker, harmful effect of sticker etc.
• Try to find out any alternate of sticker.

Conclusion

After above discussion, it is concluded that it's always better to avoid the products having sticker. We should buy other than sticker products. if consumer start buying without sticker foods & vegetables then vendor will automatically reduce the use of sticker. Buy sticker product only if you have no other option. Special care should be taken to reduce or remove the harmful effect of sticker. 

Analyse or think once that stickers are pasted on products to play with consumer mind or else.

Reference :- Guidance note by FSSAI

        

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DISCLAIMER:- THE ARTICLE HAS BEEN WRITTEN BY SUDHIR ARYA, COMPANY SECRETARY IN PRACTICE & STARTUP CONSULTANT. DUE CARE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO ENSURE THE CORRECTNESS OF INFORMATION. IT'S BASED ON THE RELEVANT INFORMATION AVAILABLE AT THE TIME OF WRITING IT. HOWEVER, THIS ARTICLE CAN'T BE CONSTRUCTED AS LEGAL OPINION AND WRITER WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT OR INDIRECT RESULT FROM THIS ARTICLE. THIS ARTICLE IS ONLY FOR KNOWLEDGE SHARING INITIATIVE.

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