What! Yellow mangoes are bad?

Perhaps the only good news of summer is that it comes with mangoes. Their decreasing prices, though an upsetting thing for farmers, is an added bonus for consumers. However, not all mangoes available in the market are good. In particular, the yellow ones are apparently the worst as they are ripened artificially using chemicals that include Calcium Carbide.

Balaji, a Food Inspector says, “There are cases being booked on the people who use chemicals for ripening the fruits. There are also stringent rules coming up soon for vendors who indulge in chemical ripening.” “We are planning to spread word and bring in notices to fruit merchants about stringent rules coming up so that it can be like a warning for many vendors,” he says.

Uma Rani, a customer at a fruit market says, “I miss the real taste of these fruits. Because of adulteration in almost every food item, we are losing natural vitamins and even after consuming enough fruits and vegetables people are not being strong enough as to what they were before.”

“I was delighted to see the mangos in the market this early; I brought 2 kg last week and to my surprise they were hard and sour inside; it was exactly the opposite of what it looked,” she adds.

Madhubala, an Ayurvedic Doctor says, “The results of eating such chemical ripened fruits will leave symptoms of food poisoning like vomiting, dehydration and also there are chances of skin allergies too.”

Fruit vendor, Kalpana informs, “Mangos are the unpredictable fruits; they can fall off the tree with one rain or even for strong winds. So, there are plucked before they fall off which doesn’t affect the farmers. And if one has to get the fruits that are naturally ripened then they have to wait for at least two months more.”

“Food Safety and Standards Rules, 2011 clearly states that there must not be any use of gas or chemicals to ripen the fruits. So, we are making sure that these methods are avoided,” avers Balaji. It’s hard for anyone to stay away from the inviting yellowness of mangoes, but stay safe and healthy. There’s no price for good health.

By Bhagyashree Kottoori