A week food chain

Source-This post on a week food chain has been created based on the article “A weak food chain:Recent controversy points to poor regulation” published in “Business Standard” on 26 April 2024.

UPSC Syllabus-GS Paper-2– Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education

Context– Hong Kong and Singapore have recently banned MDH and Everest spice brands due to presence of carcinogenic pesticide ethylene oxide in some MDH and Everest spice mixes during routine checks.

It’s not the first time Indian food brands faced issues abroad. Last year, the US FDA recalled MDH products due to salmonella contamination. These bans highlight the poor standards of India’s food and drug regulation.

What are the issues with Indian food and medicine products?

Agencies in other countries sometimes find problems in Indian food and medicine products that were approved by Indian regulators. For ex-Public Eye revealed Nestle added extra sugar to baby foods in Asia, Africa, and Latin America; an influencer exposed Bournvita’s high sugar levels leading to FSSAI action etc.

 What is the impact of this failure of domestic regulation?

1) This situation raises public health concerns and negatively impacts India’s food processing industry because of issues like high sugar content and unhealthy ingredients.

2) The presence of carcinogens and other unhealthy ingredients in Indian food exports can hamper overseas sales prospects due to rise in increase in non-tariff barriers in key markets.

What actions have been taken by the Indian authorities to address this issue?

1) The commerce ministry has asked for further details from Singapore and Hong Kong about their investigation in Indian products.

2) The Spices Board has started to implement mandatory ethylene oxide residue testing for spice consignments to these countries.

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What should be the way forward?

1) India’s rising cases of juvenile diabetes should push FSSAI to make processed foods and snacks with less sugar.

2) There is a need for a strong standard and regulation in the processed food industry due to its tremendous growth since 2018.

3) The government should follow the Supreme Courts observation about taking strong action against consumer goods companies that indulge in misleading advertisements for products related to children and babies.

Question for practice

What is the impact of week regulatory systems on the prospects of Indias food and medicine export? Highlight the steps that can be taken to address this issue?