UPSC Essentials | Mains answer practice — GS 3 : Questions on coral reefs and food adulteration (Week 100)

QUESTION 1

Food adulteration poses a significant threat to public health in India, particularly affecting vulnerable populations such as children. Analyse the impact of food adulteration on nutritional outcomes, referencing data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5).

QUESTION 2

Coral reefs are often referred to as the ‘rainforests of the sea’ due to their rich biodiversity. Explain the ecological significance of coral reefs and highlight the impact of coral bleaching on marine ecosystems.

General points on the structure of the answers

Introduction

— The introduction of the answer is essential and should be restricted to 3-5 lines. Remember, a one-liner is not a standard introduction.

— It may consist of basic information by giving some definitions from the trusted source and authentic facts.

Body

— It is the central part of the answer and one should understand the demand of the question to provide rich content.

— The answer must be preferably written as a mix of points and short paragraphs rather than using long paragraphs or just points.

— Using facts from authentic government sources makes your answer more comprehensive. Analysis is important based on the demand of the question, but do not over analyse.

QUESTION 1: Food adulteration poses a significant threat to public health in India, particularly affecting vulnerable populations such as children. Analyse the impact of food adulteration on nutritional outcomes, referencing data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5).

Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— Food has always been a vital part of our social and cultural lives. Both the government and society have important roles in setting nutrition and health-care policies.

— The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), through States/UTs and regional offices, conducts regular surveillance, monitoring, inspection, and random sampling of food products to ensure compliance with the standards outlined in the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, Rules, and Regulations.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer:

— According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s most recent National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5, 2019-21), the nutrition indicators for children under five are as follows: 35.5 percent stunting, 19.3 percent wasting, and 32.1 percent underweight. Despite this statistical proof, nutrition and public health are still overlooked. This also explains why there is no uproar over food adulteration, which should be a major public health issue.

— Water is the primary adulterant in milk. Salt, detergents, and glucose are some of the other adulterants. According to the 2011 National Survey on Milk Adulteration, 70% of milk samples tested in India failed to fulfil food safety criteria.

— Recently, there have been worrying instances of food adulteration in a variety of everyday commodities such as paneer, watermelon, spices, and so on. According to news sources from various sections of the country, the market is swamped with “fake paneer”. The most prevalent adulterants include starch, detergents, synthetic milk, and acetic acid.

— In a country plagued by communicable and noncommunicable diseases, the presence of contaminated food should raise red flags. Eating these foods can have serious health implications, including food poisoning and, in some cases, death.

— Edible oil is one of the most contaminated foods in the country. Mustard oil contains adulterants such as rice bran oil, argemone oil, and artificial allyl isothiocyanate.

— These incidents of adulteration have been documented despite the presence of a government agency, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). In response, the FSSAI has conducted raids, sample tests, and cancelled the manufacturing licenses of numerous businesses.

Conclusion:

— Hong Kong prohibited the sale of certain MDH and Everest spice blends in April 2024 due to high levels of ethylene oxide, a cancer-causing pesticide.

— The FSSAI must ensure stricter implementation across India, as many states lack the necessary infrastructure to do so. There is also a need to examine the allowable quantities of pesticides in food and reconsider food and its relationship to health.

(Source: India has a serious food adulteration problem)

Points to Ponder

Read more about FSSAI

How can food adulteration be controlled?

Related Previous Year Questions

What are the salient features of the National Food Security Act, 2013? How has the Food Security Bill helped in eliminating hunger and malnutrition in India? (2021)

What are the main bottlenecks in upstream and downstream process of marketing of agricultural products in India? (2022)

QUESTION 2: Coral reefs are often referred to as the ‘rainforests of the sea’ due to their rich biodiversity. Explain the ecological significance of coral reefs and highlight the impact of coral bleaching on marine ecosystems.

Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— Corals are essentially sessile organisms that remain permanently attached to the ocean floor. They use their small tentacle-like hands to capture food in the water and whisk it into their mouth. Each coral critter is called a polyp, and it lives in groups of hundreds to thousands of genetically identical polyps known as a ‘colony’.

— Corals are primarily characterised as either hard or soft coral. The architects of coral reefs are hard corals, which form complex three-dimensional structures over thousands of years.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer:

Significance of coral reefs

— Coral reefs play an important function in marine ecosystems. A single reef can support thousands of different marine species. For example, the Great Barrier Reef has over 400 coral species, 1,500 fish species, 4,000 mollusc species, and six of the world’s seven sea turtle species.

— These reefs also produce commercial goods and services worth around $375 billion every year. More than 500 million people worldwide rely on coral reefs for food, money, and coastal protection against storms and floods.

— Coral reefs can absorb up to 97% of the energy from waves, storms, and floods, preventing fatalities, property damage, and soil erosion.

— The loss of coral reefs would have serious consequences for both marine life and humans.

How coral bleaching takes place. Credit: NOAA

Impact of coral bleaching on marine ecosystems

— Corals are extremely sensitive to light and temperature, and even minor changes in their living environment can stress them. When stressed, they eject zooxanthellae (which supply oxygen and organic photosynthetic products that aid coral growth and survive) and turn completely white. This is known as coral bleaching.

— Coral bleaching decreases coral reproductivity and increases their vulnerability to lethal infections.

— A quarter of all marine species will rely on reefs for refuge, food, or spawning at some point in their lives, and coastal fisheries would suffer without corals.

— Coral reefs also benefit coastal areas by providing a barrier against storm surges and high waves.

Conclusion:

— According to the International Coral Reef Initiative, around 84% of the world’s coral reef regions have been damaged by disastrous mass bleaching, which began about a year ago as a result of unusually high water temperatures.

— To limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, governments must reduce GHG emissions to zero by 2050, according to the Paris Agreement.

(Source: This word means: Coral bleaching, Fourth global mass coral bleaching triggered: What are corals and why are they important?)

Points to Ponder

How can coral bleaching be controlled?

How do corals act as the house and food for millions of marine organisms?

Related Previous Year Question

What is oil pollution? What are its impacts on the marine ecosystem? In what way is oil pollution particularly harmful for a country like India? (2023)

Previous Mains Answer Practice

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 98)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 99)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 98)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 99)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 98)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 99)

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