Do we need to look before we eat? Health experts seem to think so, and express concern over the long-term effects of eating packaged food. Points out professor Utpal Ray Chaudhuri, department of food technology and biochemical engineering, Jadavpur University, “RTEs that contain synthetic colours and additives (which include emulsions, vegetable oil, texture developer and food extenders) may, in the long run, have a cumulative effect leading to the growth of latent cancer cells. Besides, since the flavours are sometimes highly toxic, it may also affect the central nervous system.”

Fast-to-cook, good to eat meals, some warn, may lead to a slow-and-steady damage of the digestive system. Deepanjan Roy, Delhi-based medical epidemiologist, holds that the additives included in processed foods can cause skin, pulmonary and psycho-behavioural problems too. Chemicals in packaged food have been found to aggravate asthma in some cases, while artificial colourings can cause hypersensitivity reactions among some people, leading to attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder, asthma and skin diseases.

The question of safety, however, barely bothers Sunrita Pal. A software executive, she feels that life itself is a hazard and adds, “Frankly, it’s been nirvana for me since I have discovered RTEs. I hate the kitchen but at the same time love good food. Now it’s no longer a hassle. While my husband makes the roti, I ‘make’ two lovely sabzis thrice a week.”

The clientele doesn’t care, and the major players in the market are on the defensive. While MTR claims that its products don’t contain any “added colour or preservatives”, Priya Foods stresses that its products are “as safe as freshly cooked foods”. Capital Foods on the other hand claims to be the first in Asia and ninth in the world with international standards, including the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points certification (HACCP) and the British Retail Consortium Global Standard.

ITC, like most big companies, uses the retort technology, which seals fresh hot food in four-layered pouches. The contents are sterilised at 120°C for 20 minutes and then cooled. This curbs bacterial growth and the food is fit for consumption for the next two to three years from the date of manufacture, without preservatives.

Even among the health experts, not everybody is convinced that long-term consumption of packaged food can lead to health problems. V. Sudershan Rao, senior research officer, National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, finds such “apprehensions misplaced” and would rather say that a branded, sealed pack of a paneer preparation is “more sterilised” than what is otherwise available. “The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act prescribes certain regulations which these companies have to abide by,” he says.

Sunit Mukherjee, the former head of department of food technology and biochemical engineering, Jadavpur University, holds that there have been no studies to show that the consumption of RTE foods can cause serious diseases. “Processed foods may be subjected to technological modifications but one can’t, at this point, say that such foods are harmful or unsafe.”