Salt has a very rich history in India. It is associated with Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian freedom movements. Therefore, a sense of honesty is attached to salt. But recently, a study done by Toxics Link, an NGO (non-government organization), published a research report writing that a certain amount of microplastics was found in several brands of salt and sugar sold in India. The sample was taken from online and local markets. It included both packaged and unpackaged salt, but the packaged salt was found to contain the highest number of microplastics. The microplastics appeared in the sugar and salt in eight different colors, such as transparent, white, blue, red, black, violet, green, and yellow. The size of the microplastics found in sugar and salt is the same between 0.1 mm and 5 mm. They were found in both items in the form of pellets, fibers, films, and fragments.
The Director and Founder of Toxics Link, Ravi Agarwal, said in the press conference, “The microplastics or nanoplastics emerge as a global threat to health and the environment." The purpose behind this study is to create awareness among the policymakers to address the issue in a concrete manner. “
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is a statutory body formed by the act of parliament in 2006 to ensure safe and wholesome food for the Indian population. Therefore, the role of FSSAI is very critical in this aspect. Although the FSSAI has made it mandatory for companies to display nutritional information on food packages in large fonts. It included salt, sugar, and saturated fat and would be written in bold letters.
Over time, plastic has become the part and parcel of human existence. It exists everywhere in large amounts, from clouds to the bottom of the ocean and Atlantic to the internal organs of human beings. We are not supposed to escape it because either we swallow it or breath it. The consumption of microplastics is the reality of our existence that leads to many health hazards, such as heart attacks or strokes, the leading cause of death in the world.
However, the adulteration of salt has also made the popular phrase “worth your salt” either irrelevant or blurred. Finding impurities in necessary items has a cascading effect on our literature as well. Considering the widespread impact of finding microplastics in basic necessities like salt and sugar, policymakers should formulate a set of strict rules and regulations for manufacturers of basic items.