Food is anything which when consumed provides
nutrition and sustains growth. The ability to
eat and the delight of eating are important aspects of good quality of life. In
short, “being able to eat what I want, when I want” makes us feel good. Having said that, Multi National
Corporations have an answerability of a high order to manufacture good
quality packaged food and it is only fair that if they fail to live up to their
responsibility , they face punitive action.
Nestlé's recall of all Maggi
variants is the biggest ever recall of any food item in India[1].
Despite claiming the brand is safe, the Swiss MNC failed to convince the
government which insisted it won't compromise on public health. The Food Safety
and Drug Administration orders to Nestle to recall batches of Maggie noodles
across the country, for containing dangerous levels of Monosodium Glutamate
(MSG) and lead.
With the existing ban on Maggie, the bigger question is can a
Multi-National Corporation bypass the laws of the nation and feed poison to the
people? Can this be called Food fraud
with absolute disregard to human life? Can a company make profits in our
country, leave the citizens ailing and then act ignorant? Is it the deficient and bungling Laws of our
nation or its non implementation which is why India is known to have the most unhygienic food in
the world? Moreover,
the fly in the ointment, do the people of our nation lack courageous anarchy?
The act of defrauding buyers for economic
gain has vexed the nation since very long. In
2003, Cadbury bars were found with worms in Mumbai[2].
The company disagreed of any infestation at manufacturing stage but stopped
advertising. Months later it came out with new packaging and aggressive
advertising and the sales in India bounced back. Similarly, In 1996, the Indian government banned
the combination of the drug Analgin with other drugs. Though other countries
like the United States of America, France and Australia continued with their
ban, Analgin to this day, continues to be in circulation.[3]
Among the long list of banned medicines outside India include commonly used
drugs like Novalgin, D’cold, Vicks Action-500, Enteroquinal, Furoxone and
Lomofen (anti-diarrheal), Nimulid, Analgin (pain killer), Ciza and Syspride,
(acidity and constipation), Nimesulide (painkiller) and Buclizine (appetite
stimulant), all of them are still being sold in Indian market.[4]
Then why is there a hue and cry about Maggi
which has been a staple food for more than 20 years. Moreover, the
results of tests conducted by various Food and Drug Administration (FDAs) and
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Maggi have raised more
questions as the same product tested in different states has provided varying
results of the components present in it.
Can the citizens of India
trust Indian
standards of checking food, beverages etc? Although we have The Food Safety and Drug Administration and
diverse laws under which legal action can be taken against companies for food
fraud such as Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, Drugs and Cosmetics
Act, 1940 and Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 but if we see from the perspective of public health, talking of food safety
becomes effectively meaningless. In a country where basic hygiene is a
task, where 40 per cent of fruits and vegetables get destroyed before they
reach a consumer[5],
where 21 million tonnes of wheat gets spoilt every year, where the Municipality
water is contaminated with high amount of lead, where 68% of milk being supplied across India do not conform
to standards set by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and more than
46% of the milk consumed by citizens is below the standards set by the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA), debating over health hazards of Maggi would mean avoiding the real
issue.[6] Why not reach to the bottom of the problem? What we
need is a mass spectrometry in food quality control.
So can we say that the laws
have failed miserably? Laws are meant to be
formulated and implemented well to drive a society in an order. Our food
laws are suited for the nation's circumstances and the Indian standards of
checking food, beverages are excellent however the laws needs to be more
clearer and unambiguous. But, despite all the faultless laws applied in the
country, lack of the scientific or technical staff necessary for food analysis,
sampling, and efficient inspection cannot happen here. It is believed that
the machinery lacks manpower to monitor food safety countrywide. It is also
believed the monitoring machinery is sometimes compromised, devious operators
getting away with violation[7].
The deputy secretary general of Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) stated that labelling on
packaged food needs to be clear. It
shouldn't only be responsive and responsible but also readable. These norms
need to undergo change and full disclosure is certainly necessary. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
(FSSAI) have worked out strategies to carry out the massive task to assess the
real extent of the hazard and to come out with policy interventions to curb
adulteration and contamination.
The
regulator is likely to come out with a guideline for state agencies on testing
samples within a week. The state regulators have standards for packed
food items. It is the manufacturers responsibility to ensure that products are
safe for consumption. Manufacturers need to apply for approval with a
certificate of analysis from approved test agencies laboratories and based on
the report, the regulator provides product approval. Now, they may come out with a norm that every
manufacturer will have to take their products to laboratories every 6 months
and submit test reports . Lastly, in order to endorse nutritionally sufficient diets in
the country, the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) has revised its dietary
guidelines for Indian people, which are meant to be useful and based on
existing situation in the food industry.
The nation’s goodwill and people’s health and
safety is in their own hands. The very worldview that is keeping
people obliged to a corrupt, unhealthy, indefensible, unmerited systems of our
nation, is precisely the worldview that the majority of people are clinging to.
The people of our nation must accept responsibility and understand that every
step toward the aim of justice requires sacrifice, distress, and great effort;
the assiduous exertions and avid concern of committed individuals will uproot
this menace.
There is no doubt that companies, consumer
and Government of India is fighting against food fraud and they are getting
success in plummeting the business through awareness program, packaging, strict
law against devious manufactures but considering the level of corruption, lack
of political will, lack of customer awareness and poor enforcement of law, the
war is far from over.
[2] Seema
Kamdar, TNN | Oct 14, 2003, 02.53AM IST
[5] Last updated on: June 10, 2015 11:49
IST
[6] Wednesday,
18 March 2015 - 7:21pm IST
[7] TNN | Jun
6, 2015, 03.32AM IST
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