Strengthening food safety ecosystem

The directive issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) mandating all Food Business Operators (FBOs) to remove any claim of ‘100% fruit juices’ from the labels and advertisements of reconstituted fruit juices with an immediate effect is a laudable move. Awareness among consumers of the directive will help enforce the directive, as consumers will be motivated to bring any violations any violations to the attention of authorities. The food regulator has directed all the FBOs to exhaust all existing pre-printed packaging materials by September 1, 2024. The FSSAI move follows the revelation that several FBOs have been marketing various types of reconstituted fruit juices by claiming to be 100% fruit juices, which is contrary to the provisions of food safety laws. The Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018, have no provision for making a ‘100%’ claim. “Such claims are misleading, particularly under conditions where the major ingredient of the fruit juice is water and the primary ingredient, for which the claim is made, is present only in limited concentrations, or when the fruit juice is reconstituted using water and fruit concentrates or pulp,” FSSAI insists. The growing popularity of packaged fruit beverages also calls for building more awareness among consumers to carefully read the labels to ascertain if food safety standards have been followed during preparation and packaging. The FPO mark on packaged fruit beverages indicates that it is certified by FSSAI that all food safety standards have been complied with prior to its distribution in the market. FBOs claim being overlooked while issuing the FPO mark point towards a gap in the system. The FSSAI needs to clarify that FBOs have not made any other claim on labels that is misleading, like “100% fruit juice claim” on the labels of packaged fruit beverages. Health-conscious consumers, particularly the youth, are attracted by the 100% fruit juice claim as they are not sure of the safety of fresh fruits available in the market. An effective system to detect fresh fruits contaminated with residues of prohibited calcium carbide is yet to be put in place in states. The availability of FSSAI-certified artificially ripened or naturally ripened fresh fruits, which are safe for consumption and have health benefits, is crucial to preventing fruits illegally ripened with calcium carbides from coming to the market. Food entrepreneurs availing of government assistance for opening fruit processing businesses can be encouraged to establish artificial fruit ripening centres to facilitate safe artificial ripening. The availability of safe fresh fruits in the market will also deter FBOs from making any misleading claims, and they will be compelled to provide accurate information to consumers about the food content. Demand for packaged fruit beverages or healthy fresh fruits will always be there in urban areas, as there is no scope for individual households to grow fruit trees as an alternative solution to purchasing harmful artificially ripened fruits and packaged fruit juice with misleading labels. Stopping to buy what is available in the market is no solution, as consumption of fruits and vegetables is essential for staying healthy. The “Dietary Guidelines for Indians-2024,”  released by the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN), recommends a daily intake of 100 grams of fresh fruits to reduce the risk of chronic non-communicable diseases such as diabetes. The solution lies in increasing the demand for safer food products by providing adequate information to consumers on food safety standards. In city areas like Guwahati, residents in localities and apartment societies can take the lead in organising events to generate awareness on food safety and standards, particularly among children and youth. Promoting career choices in food technology, dairy technology, biotechnology, biochemistry, and microbiology can go a long way towards increasing human resources in food safety regulation and enforcement. Due to the dearth of qualified and eligible people trained in these fields, the gap between the requirements of food inspectors and growing food businesses is widening fast, and most food safety regulations continue to be on paper. Dishonest FBOs will always try to avoid following safety standards to cut costs. All FBOs cannot be painted with the same brush, and deviation from the rules often results from ignorance. As food business is crucial for public health, there is no scope for any casual approach to issuing food licenses without ensuring regular and periodic inspection of the food business establishment. Strict vigilance along the entire food chain, right up to the retail outlet, is a must to ensure that every food product that consumers buy from the market is safe for consumption. States prioritising food safety in budget allocations can facilitate strengthening the food inspection system through setting up more laboratories, procuring modern and sophisticated testing equipment, recruiting more food inspectors and laboratory technologists, and intensifying the awareness drive.