Dr. Arvind Kumar*
Healthy and clean environment, clean water and sanitation are basic human rights of all citizens of the world and so is the right to nutritious and healthy food for sustenance. India’s Supreme Court ruled that the right to life guaranteed under the country’s constitution also includes the right to safe food. Enjoyment of life and its attainment, including right to life and human dignity encompasses, within its ambit availability of articles of food, without insecticides or pesticides residues, veterinary drugs residues, antibiotic residues, solvent residues, etc. However this right is being tarnished left right and centre especially in countries of South Asia which is home to some 21% of the world’s population. The consumption of adulterated foods has been estimated to cause health problems in approximately 57% of people globally. The damage done by food fraud is not restricted to economic losses to the country the industry and the businesses, it costs human well-being and human lives. In low and middle income countries approximately USD 100 billion is estimated to be lost each year in productivity and medical expenses from unsafe food. Almost 600 million people fall ill due to consuming contaminated food and 420,000 lives are lost every year.
In South Asia almost 150 million people suffer from diseases related to food adulteration. We are paying a high price in terms of ill health and economical loss due to unhealthy workforce. This food fraud is one of the most heinous crimes against humanity committed by humanity. Apart from the adverse public health impact, food fraud plays a major role in negatively impacting consumers’ trust in food industries and government agencies. Food safety professionals around the world are dedicated to ensuring that food is safe, but blind spots in food supply chains can provide opportunities for individuals and business to conduct food fraud. Factors that influence food fraud range from resource scarcity to inadequate governance and low probability of detection. Food fraud can occur anywhere in the food supply chain i.e., at pre-farm level in the raw materials such as substituting genuine seeds with counterfeit seeds, in an ingredient by substituting meat and poultry with cheaper meat ingredients or fillers, as well as in the final product or in the food packaging where expiry date changes. The world food industry loses approximately USD 30 to USD 40 billion every year due to food fraud.
So what are the steps taken by government to provide its citizens with unadulterated healthy food?
Is it even possible to put a stop on this food fraud?
Standardization and regulation
In India the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is a statutory body under the administration of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. It regulates the manufacture, storage, distribution, sale, and import of food articles, while also establishing standards to ensure food safety. The analysis of reports in the year 2022 indicates that out of 1,07,829 around 28,347 samples were found non-confirming to the prescribed standards. There are several problems associated with food e-commerce, particularly between businesses and consumers, which make e-commerce more vulnerable to food fraud. These result from the fact that consumers have no face-to-face contact with the traders, no real opportunity to inspect food items before purchase, and are typically required to pay in advance of delivery.
We can say nothing is safe even if you buy it from flashy supermarkets, grocery stores, ordering online, or going to your local grocer or vegetable vendor. In order to prevent food adulteration there are several legislations in India which lays down strict punishments in case the Food Manufacturers fails to ensure the availability of safe food for human consumption. With an aim to curb food adulteration and to build a strong compliance management system for food manufacturers, FSSAI laid down several provisions. Despite these agencies, regular testing, monitoring we get to eat adulterated food items like spices, oil, vegetables, fruits, honey, milk and milk products and many more. While adulteration of milk and its products peaks during the festival season, the huge milk economy of India ensures that adulteration is an easy money-making opportunity round the year.
Food fraudsters actively avoid detection and once one method of fraud has been discovered, they move on to a different method, potentially avoiding detection for a long time. This problem is made worse by the fact that the kinds of products used to adulterate food, such as melamine and other chemicals, are not easily detected through regular food safety and quality tests used by food safety authorities and law enforcement around the world. It has grown harder to track the source of food ingredients due to rising food product demand and the intricate nature of supply networks, which makes it simpler for such companies to tamper with food.
Way Forward
To be fair to the Government, in a large country like India, eradication of the menace of food adulteration is a daunting task – due to highly complicated supply chain from farm to the plate. No doubt active consumer participation is one of the key requirements but this fight cannot be left to consumers only as this issue is directly related to the public health, it must be taken up by governments and the food industry. It should focus on an integrated approach involving all stakeholders to eradicate this serious crime against humanity. A proper collaboration is necessary which requires the involvement of both the government and the food industry. Innovation both in preventing and detecting food adulteration, such as the adoption of new technologies and digital innovations on traceability of adulterants is needed. Governments should make food safety a public health priority, as they play a pivotal role in developing policies and regulatory frameworks and establishing and implementing effective food safety systems. Take the example of China, they executed a dairy farmer and a milk salesman for their role in a tainted infant formula scandal in which at least six children died and 300,000 were made ill. The improper enforcement and control of food safety regulations is a major factor in food adulteration. In India where this crime is so rampant, strict enforcement of laws coupled with severe penalties is imperative to deter individuals from engaging in such reprehensible activities. The health department should be extra vigilant. A strict punitive action should be taken against the erring shopkeepers as well as officials concerned. Harsh punishments and fines should be imposed on those who play with human life in the pursuit of quick money. After all when diet is wrong, medicine is of no use, when diet is correct, medicine is of no need.
*Editor, Focus Global Reporter
