Cancer has emerged as one of the most pressing public health challenges of our time. In Jammu & Kashmir, the burden of gastrointestinal cancers has become significant enough for ICMR to initiate focused screening and prevention efforts. Prevention begins long before a patient enters a hospital. It starts with addressing modifiable risk factors in our environment, lifestyle, and food supply.
Dr Umer Majeed Khaja
Cancer has emerged as one of the most pressing public health challenges of our time. In Jammu & Kashmir, the burden of gastrointestinal cancers, particularly stomach and colorectal cancers, has become significant enough for the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to initiate focused cancer screening and prevention efforts in the region. This recognition by the country’s apex biomedical research body underscores the seriousness of the challenge facing our population.
While advances in screening, diagnosis, and treatment remain essential, cancer prevention must receive equal attention. Prevention begins long before a patient enters a hospital. It starts with addressing modifiable risk factors in our environment, lifestyle, and food supply.
Among these, food safety deserves urgent attention.
Food Safety Is A Cancer Prevention Issue
Food is expected to nourish and protect health. However, when food is contaminated, adulterated, or contains prohibited substances, it may become a source of long-term health risks. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), unsafe food remains a major global public health concern, contributing substantially to the burden of disease through biological, chemical, and environmental contaminants. Long-term exposure to contaminants such as arsenic, lead, mycotoxins, and certain prohibited chemicals has been associated with cancer and other chronic diseases.
Globally, food regulators have repeatedly identified instances where industrial dyes, unauthorised colourants, pesticide residues, heavy metals, and other contaminants are entering the food chain. Such incidents highlight the importance of continuous surveillance and strict regulatory oversight.
One group of substances that has attracted particular concern is the Sudan family of dyes (Sudan I, II, III, and IV). These synthetic industrial dyes are not permitted for use in food products in many jurisdictions because of evidence suggesting genotoxic and carcinogenic potential. Scientific literature has documented concerns regarding their ability to damage genetic material and contribute to cancer development in experimental models. Consequently, food safety authorities worldwide prohibit their use in foods.
Similarly, food safety agencies have repeatedly warned against the use of non-permitted colourants such as Metanil Yellow and Rhodamine B in food products. These substances are not approved for food use and have been associated with significant toxicological concerns.
The issue is not limited to artificial dyes alone. Food safety experts also monitor pesticide residues, heavy metals, aflatoxins, contaminants generated during food processing, and compounds formed during repeated heating of cooking oils.
Another important concern is aflatoxin contamination, which can occur in improperly stored grains, nuts, spices, and other food commodities. Aflatoxin B1 is recognised as one of the most potent naturally occurring carcinogens and has been strongly linked to liver cancer. Regular surveillance of food products for aflatoxins should therefore form an essential component of food safety programmes.
Food safety concerns extend beyond adulteration alone. Recent dietary guidance issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has highlighted the potential risks associated with repeatedly heated cooking oils. Repeated heating can lead to the formation of harmful oxidation products, trans fats, and other compounds that may adversely affect human health. Monitoring cooking oil quality in commercial food establishments, particularly where oils are repeatedly reused, should therefore receive greater attention.
Why This Matters For Jammu & Kashmir
Jammu & Kashmir possesses a unique cancer profile compared with many other parts of India. Recent reports indicate that gastrointestinal cancers, including stomach and colorectal cancers, constitute an important public health concern in the region. The ongoing efforts by ICMR to strengthen screening and early detection programmes further reflect the need for region-specific cancer prevention strategies.
In such a setting, ensuring the safety and quality of food should be considered a public health priority.
It is important to emphasise that there is currently no publicly available evidence demonstrating widespread use of banned carcinogenic dyes or contaminants in foods sold in Jammu & Kashmir. Therefore, any claim that such substances are routinely present in local food products would be scientifically unjustified without laboratory confirmation.
However, the absence of evidence should not be mistaken for evidence of absence.
The appropriate scientific response is not speculation, but systematic testing.
Questions That Require Scientific Answers
Several important questions deserve attention from regulatory agencies and public health authorities:
- Are spices sold in local markets routinely screened for prohibited industrial dyes?
- Are food colours being used within legally permitted limits?
- Are sweets, snacks, and processed foods tested regularly for adulterants?
- Are pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables being monitored adequately?
- Are heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury being assessed periodically?
- Are food products routinely screened for aflatoxin contamination?
- Are street food vendors being monitored for food safety compliance?
- Is cooking oil quality being evaluated in commercial food establishments?
These questions can only be answered through scientific surveillance and transparent reporting.
Strengthening Food Safety Infrastructure
Food safety today requires more than routine inspections. Modern analytical technologies such as High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), and Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) allow highly sensitive detection of contaminants and adulterants.
The government should consider strengthening laboratory capacity and expanding routine surveillance programmes across the Union Territory.
Testing should include:
- Spices and condiments
- Processed foods
- Sweets and confectioneries
- Beverages
- Street foods
- Cooking oils
- Fruits and vegetables
- Food products susceptible to aflatoxin contamination
Regular testing not only protects public health but also enhances consumer confidence and supports honest businesses.
Transparency Builds Trust
Public confidence increases when regulatory systems operate transparently.
Authorities should periodically publish reports detailing:
- Number of samples tested
- Types of products examined
- Contaminants screened
- Violations detected
- Enforcement actions taken
Such reporting allows citizens to understand the effectiveness of food safety programmes and demonstrates governmental commitment to public health.
Integrating Food Safety Into Cancer Control
Traditionally, cancer control programmes focus on awareness, screening, diagnosis, and treatment. While these pillars are indispensable, prevention must occupy a central role.
Food safety should be recognised as an integral component of cancer prevention policy. Alongside tobacco control, healthy diets, physical activity, vaccination, and early screening, safe food systems can contribute substantially to reducing avoidable cancer risks.
A Call For Action
As a cancer researcher, I believe that protecting public health requires proactive rather than reactive measures. Jammu & Kashmir has already demonstrated leadership in recognising the growing burden of cancer and expanding screening efforts. The next step should involve strengthening food safety surveillance to ensure that banned dyes, unauthorised additives, excessive contaminants, and other potentially harmful substances do not enter the food chain.
The objective is not to create fear but to generate evidence.
In a region already facing a substantial burden of gastrointestinal cancers, strengthening food safety systems should be viewed not merely as a regulatory responsibility but as an investment in cancer prevention and public health. Robust surveillance, modern laboratory infrastructure, transparent reporting, and strict enforcement can help ensure that the food reaching consumers meets the highest safety standards.
Cancer prevention does not begin in an oncology ward. It begins with the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat.
Ensuring the safety of that food is one of the most important investments we can make in the future health of Jammu & Kashmir.
Dr Umer Majeed Khaja is a Cancer Biologist and Research Scientist at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Srinagar. He is associated with leading international cancer research organisations and is actively engaged in cancer research, prevention, advocacy, and public awareness initiatives aimed at reducing the cancer burden in Jammu & Kashmir.
um************@***il.com