Authorities tested 160,130 food samples across Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. Of these, 22,969 samples — roughly one in seven — failed to meet safety standards.
Published Dec 04, 2025 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Dec 04, 2025 | 7:00 AM
South Indian food. (iStock)
Synopsis: Doctors warned that South India’s everyday plate, filled with staples like milk, curd, fruits and vegetables, is increasingly at risk, as low-level adulteration creeps into foods consumed daily. Data presented in Parliament highlighted persistent food safety concerns across South India between 2021 and September 2024.
South India’s everyday plate, filled with staples like milk, curd, fruits and vegetables, is increasingly at risk, as low-level adulteration creeps into foods consumed daily, threatening digestion, immunity and long-term health.
Low-level adulteration, from artificial ripening agents in fruits to additives in dairy, often goes unnoticed. Yet, its cumulative impact can affect digestion, immunity and long-term health.
With dietary habits evolving and cuisines crossing regional boundaries, experts note that South Indian households are increasingly exposed to foods that have been adulterated at multiple stages, from production and storage to retail.
Data presented in Parliament by Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Prataprao Jadhav, highlighted persistent food safety concerns across South India between 2021 and September 2024.
Authorities tested 160,130 food samples across Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. Of these, 22,969 samples — roughly one in seven — failed to meet safety standards, signalling systemic lapses in quality control and regulatory enforcement.
The problem is especially concerning dairy products, which remain staples in everyday South Indian meals.
According to an inspection drive by the Noida/Greater Noida Food Department — as reported by the Times of India — 702 food samples were tested between April 2024 and March 2025. Of these, 83 percent of the paneer samples failed quality standards, and 40 percent were flagged unsafe.
While paneer is traditionally associated with northern dishes, Dr Karan, a gastroenterologist at Rela Hospital, Chennai, pointed out that it is now becoming a significant part of South Indian cuisine.
“People are eating out more, trying northern and global dishes, and the quality of paneer available locally now plays a major role in health,” he told South First.
However, the daily staples — milk and curd — remain at the heart of South Indian meals. Dr Karan emphasised that these products require careful attention: “Almost every South Indian family consumes curd daily. Because of this high consumption, adulteration in milk and milk-based products can have serious health implications.”
He outlines practical ways to identify potentially unsafe dairy products at home:
• Check that the packaging is sealed, intact, and not bulging.
• Smell the product — sour or foul odours in milk or curd indicate spoilage.
• Examine paneer for a rubbery texture, foul smell, or yellow tint.
• Always check manufacturing and expiry dates; products closer to the manufacturing date tend to be safer.
Dr Karan also advised on handling and storage: “Milk should ideally be consumed the same day. Ghee should be stored in a dry place, and paneer is best kept refrigerated.”
Dr Karan identified other food items that often trigger digestive complaints in South India. “Curdled milk-based sweets, like Bengali sweets made from chhena, have a short shelf life. Patients often come to clinics with stomach issues after consuming these. Similarly, roadside foods using repeatedly heated or reused oils, especially palm oil, can lead to gastrointestinal symptoms.”
Household practices can compound risks. “Families often reuse cooking oils or incorporate excess soda, maida, or other additives when preparing sweets or mixtures at home. These practices may increase the risk of digestive disturbances,” he explained.
Regarding packaged versus loose products, Dr Karan clarifies: “Labels like AGMARK or FSSAI indicate standardisation and some level of quality check, but even branded products are not risk-free. Loosely sold items from trusted shops may also be consumed safely, provided they show no signs of adulteration and have been handled properly.”
Dr Akhil Raj, Head at the Nonpareil Centre for Neuro & Psychosomatic Development, explains to South First how chemical adulteration is used to increase profits and enhance food appearance.
Fruits are often plucked prematurely and ripened artificially with substances like ethylene, ethanol, methanol, propylene, methyl jasmonate, ethylene glycol, ethephon, and calcium carbide.
“Consumption of fruits treated with these ripening agents has been linked to carcinogenic effects, as well as headache, dizziness, nausea, and kidney failure,” he warns.
Artificial colouring is another major concern. Bright dyes are applied to vegetables, such as bitter gourd and lady’s finger, as well as to fruits, eggs, spices, and sweets, to make them visually appealing.
Dr Raj pointed out, “Malachite green is widely used to make green vegetables look fresh and bright, while copper sulfate is applied to bitter gourd and ladyfinger. Mobile oil and carbofuran are sometimes injected into brinjals, tomatoes, cauliflowers, and cabbage for a fresh appearance.”
These practices may be carcinogenic or genotoxic, particularly affecting children.
Artificial sweeteners, including saccharin, cyclamates, and aspartame, are often added to fruit juices to enhance flavour, though some are banned due to cancer risks identified in animal studies.
To improve consistency and enhance market value, some milk and dairy products contain detergents, urea, starch, glucose, fats, oils, emulsifiers, gelatin, stabilisers, enzymes, colouring agents, etc.
Dr Raj explained, “Detergents, along with oil and fat, are often used to improve the texture and consistency of dairy products. In many cases, detergent is present accidentally due to poor hygiene, sanitation, or improper cleaning in dairy facilities.”
He added that, as demand for milk and dairy products peaks in fast-growing southern cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad, companies increasingly use these techniques to maintain consistency.
“A combination of urea, vegetable oil, emulsifiers, fat, and nitrogen content can make synthetic milk visually and physically identical to pure buffalo milk, making it undetectable. Studies suggest that 5–10 percent of milk in these regions is adulterated in this way,” he said.
The health consequences are severe. As Dr Raj warned, “This type of adulteration has been linked to gallbladder cancer, epidemic dropsy, glaucoma, loss of eyesight, paralysis, liver damage, and cardiac arrest in recent years. Daily exposure, even in small amounts, can have long-term effects on human health.”
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
