NEWS – FSSAI Alerts Fruit Traders to Ensure Compliance with Prohibition of Calcium Carbide in Fruit Ripening

GUIDLENES BY FSSAI

• Calcium carbide, commonly used for artificial ripening of fruits like mangoes, releases harmful acetylene gas containing arsenic and phosphorus.
• Health risks include dizziness, thirst, irritation, weakness, vomiting, and skin ulcers, posing hazards to consumers and handlers.
• Regulation 2.3.5 of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011, bans the use of calcium carbide for fruit ripening due to health concerns.
• FSSAI alerts traders, fruit handlers, and Food Business Operators (FBOs) to comply strictly with the ban on calcium carbide.
• Advises State/UT Food Safety Departments to take serious action against violators under the FSS Act, 2006.
• Recommends using ethylene gas as a safer alternative for fruit ripening, approved by the Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee (CIB & RC).
• Publishes a guidance document on “Artificial Ripening of Fruits – Ethylene gas a safe fruit ripener” outlining SOPs for ethylene gas usage in ripening chambers.
• Encourages consumers to report any unauthorized use of calcium carbide or improper ripening practices to State Commissioners of Food Safety for necessary actions.
• Ethylene gas, approved by FSSAI and CIB & RC, is a natural ripening agent for fruits.
• FSSAI’s guidance document provides detailed SOPs for safe fruit ripening using ethylene gas.
• Consumers can access details of State Commissioners of Food Safety for reporting violations through the provided link

CALCIUM CARBIDE

• Chemical Formula: CaC2
• Commonly known as ‘masala’
• Used for artificial ripening of fruits like mangoes.
• Manufacturing: Produced by heating a lime and carbon mixture to extreme temperatures in an electric arc furnace.
• Regulatory Status: Prohibited under Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulation, 2011.
• Health Hazards: Releases acetylene gas containing harmful traces of arsenic and phosphorus.
  • Health Impacts: Dizziness, frequent thirst, irritation, weakness, difficulty in swallowing, vomiting, skin ulcers, etc.
  • Hazardous to Handlers: Acetylene gas poses risks to those handling it.
  • Residue Risk: Contact with fruits during application can leave residues of arsenic and phosphorus on fruits.

Key Takeaways

• Industrial Usage: Used in mining, metal industries, and the production of acetylene gas.
• Calcium carbide is a highly reactive compound used primarily for artificial fruit ripening.
• Its usage is prohibited due to health risks and regulatory restrictions.
• Consumers and handlers are exposed to health hazards, emphasizing the importance of safer alternatives like ethylene gas for fruit ripening.