India’s Excise Department to Employ Track-and-Trace System Aimed at Synthetic Toddy

The country’s Excise department will implement a track-and-trace system to ensure artificial toddy of dubious quality and provenance does not endanger public health, The Hindu reported on August 05 in Kerala.  Initially, the department will number and assign a code for coconut trees earmarked for tapping toddy.  Moreover, it will install a tracking system for disseminating toddy from coconut plantations to 4,800 licensed outlets across Kerala.
Officials said several delinquent elements in the toddy sector gets huge profits by palming off “synthetic toddy” spiked with sedatives, saccharine, and illicit spirit as unadulterated coconut palm sap via licensed outlets, which often double as family restaurants serving “toddy-shop fare”.  Bootleggers could manufacture artificial toddy at less than half the price of the genuine substance The Hindu wrote.
  Forensic chemical examinations have found toddy samples often contained chloral hydrate, a sleep-inducing substance, illicit spirit, sulphated ash, and benzoic acid. Officials said there was no helpful rule of thumb for customers to distinguish between genuine and spurious toddy.  Only a chemical examination could determine the ingredients and alcohol content.  Artificial toddy resembles the natural substance in taste and smell, although the level of intoxication might be higher than usual, the report said.