Ashraf Engineer
August 17, 2024
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Hello and welcome to All Indians Matter. I am Ashraf Engineer.
A few months ago, Hong Kong and Singapore banned four products of two popular Indian spice brands after detecting carcinogenic ingredients in them. Hong Kong and Singapore banned the products of MDH and Everest spices citing the presence of ethylene oxide, a cancer-causing agent that raises the risk of breast cancer and lymphoma. A survey that followed showed that 72% of Indian consumers are concerned about the safety of the food they consume and most have low confidence in Indian regulators. How safe is the food you consume and how can food standards be raised?
SIGNATURE TUNE
A massive controversy erupted after the Singapore and Hong Kong bans with several other governments announcing investigations into Indian products. The Spices Board and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, or FSSAI, announced several measures to ensure spices and foods were up to standard.
The FSSAI has been under fire for another issue. It reportedly allowed a ten-fold increase in the maximum residue limit, from 0.01 mg per kg to 0.1, in spices and herbs of pesticides not registered in India or where the maximum limit is not defined by local or international regulations.
Why are there pesticides in masalas and food in India? Is the food we eat, especially processed food, safe? Are our regulations being implemented correctly and do they need an overhaul?
The State Food Safety Index, or SFSI, established by FSSAI in 2018-19, is telling. It measures how states perform in terms of food safety. Released every year on June 7, World Food Safety Day, the index is based on five parameters: compliance, training and capacity building, food testing infrastructure and surveillance, human resources and institutional data, and consumer empowerment.
India Today’s Data Intelligence Unit analysed the index’s data since inception, revealing that food safety is steadily declining.
According to the the 2022-23 SFSI report, Kerala topped the list of states with a score of 63, moving up from the sixth position in the previous year’s report. However, this indicated a decline with the highest score in the previous report being 82. There was a fall, therefore, of 19 points in the top score.
The average score for large states decreased from 51.2 to 39.8 points. In previous years, the average score for large states was higher: 50.85 in 2020-21 during the COVID-19 pandemic and 56.3 in 2019-20.
There were worrying patterns in the scores of individual states. Among the 20 in the large state category, nine consistently witnessed a decline in food safety over the previous three years. These were Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Odisha, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh.
There was a similar trend in small states, with average scores dropping from 50 in 2019-20 to 31.8 in 2022-23. Except for Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura, all small states logged declining scores.
India’s food industry comprises hundreds of thousands of businesses of varying sizes related to food production, processing, supply and distribution. FSSAI officials point out that, given the informal nature of the market, ensuring food safety and hygiene is challenging. In contrast, in the West, most of the food is grown, processed and distributed by the organised sector.
There is a huge need for consumer education and awareness. Consumers can help regulators by identifying adulteration and passing on information to them. However, as far as people making healthy choices is concerned, they prefer taste over hygiene, which means that sugary or fatty items are highly consumed. FSSAI officials say there needs to be greater awareness about and availability of healthier options. Lastly, food-based education programmes in schools would go a long way.
But, returning to the declining SFSI scores, these make for a grave concern. The Spices Board, which is part of the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has released guidelines for spice producers and exporters. However, they may not be enough. What we need is a regulatory framework that actually works.
Both, Central and state governments, must take note of the danger and strengthen standards and implementation of regulations to ensure that contaminated food products that have long-term adverse health impacts on society are kept out of the market and, importantly, there is a feeling of trust among people that the food they are consuming is safe.
Thank you all for listening. Please visit allindiansmatter.in for more columns and audio podcasts. You can follow me on Twitter at @AshrafEngineer and @AllIndiansCount. Search for the All Indians Matter page on Facebook. On Instagram, the handle is @AllIndiansMatter. Email me at editor@allindiansmatter.in. Catch you again soon.
