New Delhi: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is intensifying its surveillance measures across a range of food items sold within the Indian market. The regulatory body has annouced plans to target products such as dairy items, fortified rice, and spices for comprehensive quality checks. These measures come shortly after probes into potential norm violations by well-known spice brands.
FSSAI’s upcoming initiatives will undertake surveillance of items including fruits and vegetables, potential salmonella contamination in fish products, spice and culinary herbs, as well as dairy goods. There has already been movement on the spice front where powdered spices from prominent labels including MDH and Everest are being sampled nationwide due to quality issues raised by international authorities in Singapore and Hong Kong.
In a statement made on April 22, an insider revealed, “In view of the current development, FSSAI is taking samples of spices of all brands, including MDH and Everest, from the market to check whether they meet the FSSAI norms.” However, the organization does not oversee the quality of spices destined for export, as per sources.
Pressing concerns emerged early last month when Hong Kong’s Center for Food Safety (CFS) alerted consumers against purchasing and encouraged traders to cease selling products like MDH’s Madras Curry Powder and Everest Fish Curry Masala. These advisory notices were issued after the detection of ethylene oxide, a pesticide, in samples of several pre-packaged spice mixes from the two Indian brands. Prompted by these events, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) also mandated a recall of ‘Everest Fish Curry Masala’ imported from India.
The FSSAI’s vigilance is not confined to spices alone. The authority revealed last week that it began collecting samples of Nestle’s Cerelac baby cereals on a pan-India scale following global reports alleging the addition of excessive sugar content in these products.
To gauge the adherence to regulations, FSSAI has ramped up its pan-India surveillance efforts across various food products. There has been more than a threefold increase in the number of samples analyzed over the last few years, jumping from 107,829 in the 2020-2021 fiscal year to over 451,000 in the 2023-2024 period. The scrutiny yielded a notable count of non-conforming samples, indicating a rigor in enforcement by food safety authorities under the FSS Act 2006.
The authority operates a network of food testing laboratories, including both government and private sector facilities, across the country. Currently, there are 239 primary food testing laboratories, 22 referral laboratories, and 12 reference laboratories that have been notified for routine analysis.
When it comes to penalties for non-compliance, the FSSAI Act lays down hefty fines and potential imprisonment for offenses. Sub-standard and Misbranded food items can attract fines up to Rs 5 lakhs and Rs 3 lakhs respectively, while misleading advertisements could result in penalties up to Rs 10 lakhs. Furthermore, if food deemed ‘unsafe’ causes injury, businesses can face imprisonment ranging from one year to six years with fines between Rs 3 lakhs to Rs 5 lakhs, depending on the severity of the injury. In tragic circumstances where contraventions lead to death, food business operators could face imprisonment for a term of no less than seven years, which might extend to a lifetime, along with a fine of not less than Rs 10 lakhs.
These increasing measures demonstrate FSSAI’s commitment to fortifying food safety and fostering consumer confidence in the products they consume. As the authority tightens its regulatory grip, consumers can expect a greater level of protection and care in their dietary choices.
