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Imagine finding a sharp metallic staple in a piece of gulab jamun or kaju burfi. One certainly shudders to think of such a possibility, but it has happened, and will continue to happen if we do not stop using staples indiscriminately, particularly for sealing food packets. Some years ago, a friend had recounted a horrifying incident about a staple in a piece of badam burfi that her four-year-old son was about to eat. Since it was a fairly large piece, she had decided to give her son only half of it. She cut it, and out came the metallic pin. She was aghast at the thought of what could have happened to her child if he had eaten the burfi along with the staple. It could well have caused serious injuries, and this very thought had prompted me to write on the issue. I now come back to the subject because recently, I came across two more cases of staple-in-food. While in one case, the metallic fastener was found in a packet of tea, in another, it was in the wheat flour, and caused bleeding injuries to the person who was kneading the flour to make rotis. In fact, several years ago, a consumer activist from Chennai had reported the case of a man who bought pakoris and ate, by accident, along with the food, the staples used to package it, resulting in his suffering bleeding internal injuries. Given the way staplers are used in the country, I am sure there would be many more such cases that would have gone unreported. c (Indian Airlines vs SN Sinha, first appeal No 56 and 71 of 1990, decided on 9-11-1990). A stapler is a mechanic device meant basically to put together sheets of paper. However, we in India seem to use it as a closure or a sealer for any packet, including food packets. And its use is as ubiquitous as plastic. From foodgrains to processed foods, packages are closed with a series of staples. There is always the risk of the pin not only falling into the food, but also of its causing hurt to those who try to open the packet by removing the pins. So whenever you find shopkeepers (this applies to restaurants, too) using staples to seal food packets, tell them about the possible danger, and stop them from using staples. In fact the Union Ministry of Health should ban the use of staples in food packets under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, just as it has prohibited the use of non-food grade plastic for storing and packing food. You may remember that some years ago, currency notes used to be always stapled together. Fortunately, the Reserve Bank of India banned the use of staples on the ground that it resulted in the mutilation of the notes. But from the consumers’ point of view, it also helped prevent injury to the fingers when one tried to open the bundle of notes stapled at many places. I find gross overuse of staples by courier companies, too. In fact they go to extraordinary lengths to prevent the recipients of the mail from accessing it. The envelope or the packet is stapled at so many places that it takes quite some time and effort to remove the staples, and in the process, there is every possibility of important letters, cheques and even greeting cards getting torn or damaged. The fingers of those trying to open the mail also get injured. It is time the Union Health Ministry takes note of the seriousness of the issue, prohibits stapling of food packets and enforces the order stringently. There are many ways in which food packets can be sealed safety. Stapling is certainly not one of them and it should be stopped.
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