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Anadulterant is a substance discreetly added to another that may compromise the safety or effectiveness.Consumable products, such asfood,cosmetics,pharmaceuticals andfuels, are frequently adulterated to reduce the cost or difficulty of production without the knowledge of the buyer, allowing the product to be sold at the same price as a chemically pure equivalent. The adulteration ofstreet drugs is known aslacing.
Adulteration is the practice of secretly mixing a substance with another.[1] The secretly added substance will not normally be present in any specification or declared substances due to accident or negligence rather than intent, and also for the introduction of unwanted substances after the product has been made. Adulteration, therefore, implies that the adulterant was introduced deliberately in the initial manufacturing process, or sometimes that it was present in the raw materials and should have been removed, but was not.[2]
An adulterant is distinct from, for example, permittedfood preservatives. There can be a fine line between adulterant andadditive;chicory may be added tocoffee to reduce the cost or achieve a desired flavor—this is adulteration if not declared on the label.Chalk was often added tobread flour; this reduces the cost and increases whiteness, but thecalcium confers health benefits, and in modern bread, a little chalk may be included as an additive for this reason.[3]
In wartime, adulterants have been added to make foodstuffs "go further" and prevent shortages. TheGerman wordersatz is widely recognized for such practices duringWorld War II. Such adulteration was sometimes deliberately hidden from the population to prevent loss of morale and propaganda reasons.
Past and present examples of adulterated food, some dangerous, include:
Historically, the use of adulterants has been common; sometimes dangerous substances have been used. In the United Kingdom up to theVictorian era, adulterants were common; for example, cheeses were sometimes colored with lead. Similar adulteration issues were seen in industries in the United States, during the 19th century. There is a dispute over whether these practices declined primarily due to government regulation or to increased public awareness and concern over the practices.[citation needed]
In the early 21st century, cases of dangerous adulteration occurred in the People's Republic of China.[7][8]
In some African countries, it is not uncommon for thieves to break electrictransformers to stealtransformer oil, which is then sold to the operators of roadside food stalls to be used fordeep frying. When used for frying, it is reported that transformer oil lasts much longer than regularcooking oil. The downside of this misuse of the transformer oil is the threat to the health of the consumers, due to the presence ofPCBs.[9]
Adulterant use was first investigated in 1820 by the German chemistFrederick Accum, who identified many toxic metal colorings in food and drink. His work antagonized food suppliers, and he was ultimately discredited by a scandal over his alleged mutilation of books in theRoyal Institution library. The physicianArthur Hill Hassall conducted extensive studies in the early 1850s, which were published inThe Lancet and led to the 1860 Food Adulteration Act and other legislation.[10]John Postgate led a further campaign, leading to another Act of 1875, which forms the basis of the modern legislation and a system ofpublic analyst who test for adulteration.[citation needed]
At the turn of the 20th century, industrialization in the United States led to an increase in adulteration, which inspired some protest. Accounts of adulteration led theNew YorkEvening Post to parody:
Mary had a little lamb,
And when she saw it sicken,
She shipped it off to Packingtown,
And now it's labeled chicken.[11]
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