1. 70 % of the milk samples collected by the Centre for Science and Environment from all over India showed traces of adulteration. And what were these adulterants? Well, urea, starch, glucose, formalin along with detergent for taste.

2. Indian strawberries test positive for more than 13 different kinds of pesticides. A piece!

3. More often than not, paint is used on fruits like cherries and lychees to make them look fresher. You know that gorgeous red cherry colour we all love? Well, that’s actually colour .

4. Farmers use wax to polish apples. This practice makes the apples look fresher, more appealing and the coat of wax makes them last longer. It also makes you really really sick.

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5. Did you know that chicken nuggets are not made out of chicken parts? Instead, they are made from a meat slurry which is basically a liquefied meat product. Disgusting right?

6. Packaged meat is often injected with salt water to make it look more plum. The fatter it looks, the ‘healthier’ it’s considered. “Considered!”

7. A can of an aerated drink contains at least 9 spoons of sugar. That’s like, 4 times more than what your body needs. The same case applies to all the ‘diet’ sodas in the market.

8. At least 25% of all bottled water is just regular water, straight from a tap. So the next time, a company promises you “mineral water”, they actually mean, water from the tap in their factory.

9. Did you know that your favourite morning cuppa is basically coffee, water, sawdust, Tamarind seeds and Chicory powder? Maybe that’s why having more than 3 cups of coffee in a day is considered a health hazard.

10. It’s hard to imagine that things like wheat and rice can be adulterated. But unfortunately, they are. Usually, extra starch is added to flour to make it thicker.

11. We often choose a pack of orange juice over soda because it seems to be a healthier option. But what we are totally unaware of is that it is made from glucose, cheap sugar and coloured water, the consumption of which is highly unhealthy.

12. What you read on the label is not usually what you find in an ice-cream. Because of the way it’s prepared, manufactures tend to add many non-organic substances to make this frozen dessert. Usually, these substances range from chemicals to animal fat. Second round of dessert, anyone?

A lot of these problems can be avoided if the food we eat comes out healthier at the source. To do just that, Sharad, an amazingly driven Indian and a thorough patriot, is leading a change in the way farmers of his locality grow their crops by encouraging them to use bio fertilizer and pesticides. This is his story.

For more inspiring stories, checkout the entries of the Ford Figo Aspire’s ‘What Drives You?’ contest.

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