Adding unhygienic water, fertilizer, bleach
or detergent to milk to make it look frothy, spraying chemicals to make apples
look pink, adulteration of non-edible oils in oils, mixing fresh tea leaves
with waste tea, making sweets from contaminated caustic soda- there are
innumerable ways of adulteration of food items in our country, which cause
severe health problems.
MAMC Journal of Medical Sciences claimed that contaminated food or drinking water is responsible for about two million deaths per year in India.
According to a recent study published in the journal 'Lancet' on diet-related mortality in the world, India ranks second in terms of deaths due to contaminated food. In fact, India scores even higher than the United States in terms of poor food choices.
With potentially fatal consequences for the health of India's 1.2 billion people, adulterated food is responsible for all kinds of health problems, from stomach upset to cancer.
The primary symptoms of food poisoning may include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramps, fever, and chills. In severe cases, food poisoning can lead to dehydration and even death. Unsafe food causes more than half a million deaths globally every year, with children under the age of five most affected.
Entamoeba is the most common cause of foodborne illness in India, followed by Campylobacter bacteria, Salmonella bacteria, E. coli bacteria and norovirus1. People with foodborne illness are more likely to die from obesity-related cancers.
In India, food-borne diseases can be erratic and often go unreported, but in a nationwide 2006 study 13.2% of households reported food-borne illness. A total of 37 outbreaks involving 3,485 persons who have been affected due to food poisoning have been reported in India. Although the common forms of foodborne diseases are those due to bacterial contamination of foods, however, higher numbers of deaths have been observed due to chemical contaminants in foods.
Compromised quality, increasing adulteration cases and product integrity issues, shifting of food grains to open market to get better margins, poor quality food grains sold at ration shops, irregular opening of shops pose serious challenges to food security products.
Such issues can cause irreparable damage not just to individual health, but also to the reputation of brands that manufacture and market these products.
Is there no authority to regulate food safety in India?,
In India, the food industry is regulated by a number of laws that oversee permits, licensing and sanitation issues. The government also runs the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to monitor and regulate food processing, manufacturing, storage and market distribution.
FSSAI is an autonomous statutory body, administered by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare which functions in accordance with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (FSS Act). It has been responsible for managing food safety in our country since 2011.
FSSAI has been made for setting down science-based benchmarks for articles of food and to manage their production, deal, and import to guarantee accessibility of protected and healthy food for human utilization.
The organization conducts inspections of food businesses to ensure that they are following food safety laws and regulations. If a business is found to be non-compliant, the FSSAI can take enforcement action, which can include fines, penalties, or even the revocation of licenses.
It is also responsible for the accreditation of laboratories for food testing and has fourteen referral laboratories, seventy-two state/UT laboratories, and 112 FSSAI-notified NABL-accredited labs.
FSSAI has released a booklet called ‘Detect Adulteration with Rapid Test (DART)’ which covers more than 50 common quick tests for detection of food adulterants at household by the citizens themselves so as to induce awareness among the consumers about food safety. The DART book is available on the website of FSSAI. FSSAI has also introduced a policy for adoption of Rapid Analytical Food Testing (RAFT) Kit/Equipment/Method for regulatory purposes.
All the six rules notified by the authority on August 5, 2011 are already being implemented. The authority is also in the process of notifying some new regulations covering other areas.
Apart from health and food challenges, food safety is also imperative for financial growth and advancement. FSSAI ensures that food businesses in India comply with the regulations under the Food Safety Act, along with which every business needs to have an FSSAI registration.
The FSSAI regulates food businesses of all sizes, from large-scale manufacturers to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, compliance with FSSAI regulations can be particularly challenging for SMEs due to limited resources and lack of awareness of the regulatory requirements.
What is the reason for the rising cases of food poisoning despite FSSAI regulations?,
Under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP)of the Union Health Ministry of India, food poisoning outbreaks are reported from all over the country, and about 60% of the total outbreaks reported to the IDSP are related to food-borne infections.
As such, food poisoning has always been a major health concern in India. But, after the year 2008, the cases of food poisoning have increased very fast. In fact, food poisoning was the second most common cause of infectious disease outbreaks in India in 2017. According to the IDSP, apart from 4361 cases of diarrhea, around 2867 cases of food poisoning were reported between 2008 and 2017.
There could be many reasons for the rising cases of food poisoning in India despite FSSAI regulations. Some of the reasons include poor infrastructure, inadequate inspections, irregular licenses, lack of proper feedback and others. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has audited many states in the last decade and has given many reasons for the instances of food poisoning.
Another factor is the lack of food safety regulations and enforcement. While India has regulations in place to ensure food safety, their implementation and enforcement are often lacking, particularly in smaller food establishments and informal markets. This can result in the sale and consumption of contaminated or adulterated food, which can cause food poisoning.
Food safety is often worse in poorer areas where ignorance and the temptation to make a quick buck are greater. Poor people don't care much about the quality. Whatever is cheaper, they'll buy it; they're just worried about how to fill their stomachs somehow.
An increase in food poisoning cases across the country is fearful as food safety standards are being challenged. According to a recently released report by the FSSAI, 13 percent of all food items in the country – especially meat, fruits and vegetables – fail to meet safety standards.
Economic loss due to adulterated food,
Needless to say that adulteration has become a thriving business in India. It has become a part of business strategy by food manufacturers and industries to get more profit in cheaper ways and also to bring down the cost of production to match the market; But what about the economic loss to the country due to this?.
The Public Health Foundation of India attributed 80 percent of all premature deaths to contaminated food and water. Not only this, India also has to bear economic loss due to counterfeit food items. The country is reportedly losing over Rs 1 lakh crore per annum due to the sale/purchase of counterfeit goods by consumers across all sectors, ASPA said in an earlier report. “Counterfeiting corrupts an economy by harming consumer rights, damaging brand equity, causing losses to industries and causing loss of government revenues,” Authentication Solutions Providers’ Association (ASPA) said.
Has FSSAI fail to ensure food safety?,
An increase in food poisoning cases across the country is fearful as food safety standards are being challenged. According to a recently released report by the FSSAI, 13 percent of all food items in the country – especially meat, fruits and vegetables – fail to meet safety standards.
Analytical results show that the price of the high
(low) quality product decreases (increases) in the presence of food fraud,
while the effects of food fraud on equilibrium quantities are case-specific and
dependent on the relative magnitude of the demand and supply effects of food
adulteration and mislabeling. Adulteration increases the weight of the food,
helps gain more profit, and increases sales in cheaper ways. The increasing
rate of the population also plays a major role in food adulteration. The
inefficiency of government initiatives to control it is also a factor.
In such a situation, there are three main
challenges in front of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
(FSSAI)- huge amounts of licensing and registration work to be done by the
State Governments, upgradation of food testing laboratory infrastructure for
monitoring and surveillance purposes/ Strength and harmony. Product standards
with codecs, wherever possible.
While the FSSAI has faced criticism in the past for
its handling of food safety issues, it has also taken steps to improve its
operations and increase public awareness of food safety issues. For
example, it has launched several initiatives such as the Food Safety Compliance
through Regular Inspections and Sampling (FoSCoRIS) System to verify compliance
of food safety and hygiene standards by food businesses.
Overall, the effectiveness of the FSSAI and other government agencies in ensuring food safety in India is a complex issue that depends on a variety of factors, including funding, infrastructure, and public awareness. The food safety ecosystem in India is still evolving and there is a need for more awareness and capacity building among stakeholders.
The rapid growth of the food industry in India has outpaced the development of food safety infrastructure and regulations. As a result, many food businesses may not have the necessary knowledge or resources to ensure food safety, which can contribute to the incidence of food poisoning.
Food security is not only a matter of concern for a
country like India, but the whole world is grappling with this problem.
According to a report by the World Health Organisation, 600 million cases
worldwide are caused by unsafe food and foodborne illnesses alone. Due to this,
about 4,20,000 people die every year. Food poisoning causes 200 types of
diseases all over the world. This includes everything from diarrhea to cancer.
About 1,25,000 children die every year due to this. The worst effect of food
poisoning falls on poor and vulnerable people. Today 2 out of every 10 people
are falling ill due to eating contaminated food.
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