Food safety in India

IN NEWS:

• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) released the annual State Food Safety Index on the occasion of World Food Safety Day (June 7^th).

STATE FOOD SAFETY INDEX (SFSI):

• FSSAI has developed State Food Safety Index to measure the performance of states on various parameters of Food Safety.
• This index is based on performance of State/ UT on five parameters:
  • Human Resources and Institutional Data
  • Compliance
  • Food Testing – Infrastructure and Surveillance
  • Training & Capacity Building
  • Consumer Empowerment
• The Index is a dynamic quantitative and qualitative benchmarking model that provides an objective framework for evaluating food safety across all States/UTs.
• Kerala has secured the first position this year.

IMPORTANCE OF FOOD SAFETY:

• Promote Public Health:
  • Prevent loss of life:
    • According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 1.5 million people die from food borne illnesses each year.
  • Tackle AMR:
    • Overuse of antimicrobials in veterinary and human medicine has led to Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR), which has now become one of the main threats to modern medicine.
  • Reduce lifestyle diseases:
    • Consumption of unhealthy fats, high energy density and high salt content is the leading cause of increase in noncommunicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.
• Nutritional security:
  • Food safety is a major determinant of health. Approximately 50% of malnutrition is caused not by a lack of food or poor diet, but due to poor water and sanitation facilities, and unhygienic practices leading to life-threatening disease and infections such as diarrhea.
• Changing food habits:
  • Economic growth, rising income levels, and rapid urbanisation have influenced India’s eating habits. There is increased demand for greater variety in food choices, and Indians are becoming more concerned about food quality and safety.
• Boost farmers’ income:
  • Higher the quality of produce, better the return for farmers. Hence, ensuring food safety standards enable the farmers to earn more from their farm fields.
• Promote Indian cuisine:
  • India boasts a rich culinary heritage that spans across various regions and communities. Having effective food quality regulation will promote the attraction of Indian cuisine across the global populace.
• Social wellbeing:
  • The quality of food affects the survival, well-being, livelihood and productivity of individuals and eventually societies.

CHALLENGES:

• Poor post-harvest management:
  • Small and marginal farmers have limited exposure to modern food safety practices and technologies. This results in poor post-harvest storage, transportation and processing practices, which deteriorate the quality of produce.
• Exceptions in regulations:
  • “Petty manufacturers, retailers and hawkers” are exempted from FSSAI ambit. These segments greatly contributes to unorganised food sector and their exemption from the regulation increases the risk from unsafe food.
• Lack of supporting infrastructure:
  • Storage facilities:
    • Less number of public warehouses, limited private participation, fragmented cold storage facilities, prevalence of cover and plinth storage >> poor storage of food grains
  • Agricultural extension services
    • AES, which provide education and support to farmers and rural communities, have limited capacity to effectively disseminate information on food safety practices.
  • Testing facilities:
    • There are limited number of facilities like food testing laboratories, and they are mostly concentrated in urban areas.
    • Eg: There are only 87 National Accreditation Board for testing and calibration Laboratories (NABL) accredited Labs in India.
• Cultural hinderances:
  • Some traditional food preparation and preservation methods used in rural areas may not align with modern food safety standards, leading to potential quality control issues.
• Lack of awareness:
  • An serious challenge for food industries seeking to conform to food safety regulations is a lack of information and clarity.

EXISTING GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS:

• Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI):
  • The FSSAI has been established under Food Safety and Standards, 2006 and mandated to perform the following functions:
    • Framing of Regulations to lay down the Standards and guidelines in relation to articles of food and specifying appropriate system of enforcing various standards thus notified.
    • Laying down mechanisms and guidelines for accreditation of certification bodies and laboratories
    • Provide scientific advice and technical support to Central Government and State Governments
    • Collect and collate data and identification of emerging risks and introduction of rapid alert system.
    • Creating an information network across the country
    • Provide training programmes for persons involved in food businesses.
    • Contribute to the development of international technical standards
    • Promote general awareness about food safety and food standards
  • FSSAI maintains information on food safety parameters using different online platforms such as FoSCoS, FoSCoRIS, FoSTaC and INFoLNET.
• Central and State Pollution Control Boards:
  • PCBs check the presence of water-based contaminants in groundwater, sewage discharge and other water channels.
• Bureau of Indian Standards:
  • BIS is the National Standard Body of India. It is responsible for the harmonious development of the activities of standardization, marking and quality certification of goods. It has established various certification standards in relation with food.
  • Eg: “IS14543” for packaged drinking water

OTHER EFFORTS:

• Eat Right movement:
  • To improve public health in India and combat negative nutritional trends to fight lifestyle diseases, FSSAI launched 'The Eat Right Movement’.
  • https://www.ilearncana.com/details/Eat-Right-India-Movement/2479
• World Food Safety Day:
  • It is celebrated on 7th June every year to raise awareness about the importance of prevention, detection, and management of foodborne risks.
• National Food Security Mission:
  • The mission was launched in 2007 as a Central Sector Scheme (CSS) to increase food production and productivity through area expansion and productivity enhancement interventions in rice, wheat, pulses, oilseeds, etc.
• Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana:
  • It is an umbrella scheme implemented by Ministry of Food Processing Industries and aims at increasing value addition in agricultural sector.

WAY FORWARD:

• Social campaign for attitudinal change:
  • Government should coordinate with civil society groups to launch mass campaigns to generate awareness on the various food safety standards and practices.
• Improve stakeholder awareness:
  • Deeper collaboration among farmers, consumers, businesses, and regulators is required to inculcate a culture of food safety from the grassroots to the highest level to reduce the incidence of food borne illnesses in India.
• Augment storage facilities:
  • Through measures such as the Grameen Bhandaran yojana and PPP models, storage facilities should be further expanded.
• Decentralised approach:
  • Enhance the role of Panchayati Raj institutions and urban local bodies in the regulation and monitoring of food quality.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Q. A booming food industry will need stringent guidelines on food safety, an imperative for the country's economy, trade, and nutrition security. Discuss.