Sweet Poison
Debi Mukherjee (India, 14/05/06)
Garlands of small pouches hung on the small roadside shops selling cigarettes, matches etc. always start agitating my mind. These are mostly packs of supari or pan-masala or gutka (chewing tobacco). These packs have more or less become status symbol of today’s life. People belonging to all strata of society starting from business people, office goers, vegetable vendors, guards, daily wage labourers etc. while walking, travelling, sitting in a gathering or attending meetings are often found to pour the contents of such packs in their mouth at regular intervals. I have even come across that persons who can hardly afford two square meals a day are buying these pouches to pacify their wailing kids as if these are the lollipops.
Sometimes I can’t resist myself but to venture unsolicited advice to them to please buy lozenges in place of these pouches as the former will atleast provide some sugar and calories to the undernourished kid. The question may crop up why am I so averse to these pouches? According to the Study carried out by the Cancer Research Institute, Mumbai, chewing of tobacco, pan-masala and supari may lead to oral cancer. The experts have also forewarned that INDIA will be heading for an epidemic of oral cancer unless there is a check on the consumption of these products.
The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 and Rules, 1955 prescribing standards of food articles and labeling regulations therefore provide that every package and advertisement of Chewing Tobacco, Pan Masala and Supari shall have a warning statement indicating that chewing of these products are injurious to health. But who cares! On the contrary consumption of these products have been increasing day by day. The irony is that these products have been made more tastier and attractive to the consumers by addition of artificial sweetener called Saccharin Sodium. It is high time to take some concrete measures to dissuade the public from this habit. The Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) / School Teachers could play effective role in creating awareness about adverse effects of consumption of such products.
