Awareness and understanding of adulteration in common household kitchen items: A study in rural communities

Women are the primary caregivers and cooks in Indian households. Their knowledge of food adulteration determines family health. The study assessed the knowledge of women on commonly adulterated food items available in their kitchens and its associated factors.

A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 310 women of Rahi block of Raebareli, India. A 40-item food inventory with their common adulterants was prepared using tool kit modules of the FSSAI. Each correct adulterant identified for a food item was scored one to obtain a cumulative Food Adulterant Identification (FAI) score. The multivariable logistic regression identified the determinants of high FAI.

The mean age of the women was 37.1 ± 11.7 years. Among 183 study participants, about 59.0% of women had knowledge about food adulteration. Among all the food groups, 288 (92.9%) women knew about adulteration in milk and milk products, 240 (77.4%) knew about adulteration in oils and fats and 230 (74.2%) knew about adulteration in spices. Around 157 (50.7%) and 153 (49.3%) women had low and high FAI scores respectively. The education of secondary-level or higher (AOR 3.4; 95% CI 1.9-6.1), knowledge of food adulteration (AOR 2.2; 95% CI 1.2-4.1), and experience of health issues after consuming food from the market (AOR 2.7; 95% CI 1.3-5.6) were associated with high FAI scores.

Knowledge about food adulteration in rural India needs to be improved. Prior knowledge about food adulteration and the educational status of women were found to be important determinants for identifying commonly adulterated items.