Cracking Down on Wilful Violators
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued new guidelines for sampling of fortified rice (FR), fortified rice kernels (FRK) and vitamin mineral premix of FRK. The guidelines have been issued as approved by the scientific panel on sampling of the food regulatory authority. It would probably be termed as a positive and welcome step by all stakeholders.
It would be welcomed hopefully by even the food business operators (FBOS) from the fortified foods sector. This is because the concerned order not only instructs the authorities on how to draw samples but also gives freedom to professionals themselves to implement the order. This will be a kind of ‘self-inspection'.
Procuring samples of food items for inspection is a crucial issue. There had been reported instances in the past where the then food inspection authorities had lost cases in the court just because the FBOS could prove that the samples were not collected properly and hence the test results were not reliable.
To test any food item in a laboratory for compliance with the standards announced, the sample must be representative. The FSSAI says its guidelines will ensure taking out representative samples of FR and FRK by the inspecting officials. The guidelines are applicable for the determination of heterogeneously distributed fortificants, undesirable substances, contaminants and parameters usually homogeneously distributed as those used to assess quality or compliance with specifications. The guidelines define and prescribe sampling methods for bulk, laboratory, primary, random, legal etc.
Food items need to be tested for safety because various ingredients, additives and biopolymers are commonly used to optimize the texture or flavour of foods. The properties of the final food product are influenced by distribution and microstructure of the ingredients. Hence, R&D and quality control within the food business organisations have to examine the distribution of the various compounds in the food as well as test various other parameters. Similarly, outside agencies like the regulator also have to do testing of some food items to ensure that claims made by FBOS are correct. Testing fortified food in laboratories is important since fortification is considered by the authorities and several others as a solution over common micronutrient deficiencies of iron, folate, and vitamin B12 in Indians, which lead to anemia. Even the head of Nutrition and School Feeding Unit of United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) had said a few months back as India was facing a worsening crisis of micronutrient deficiency and malnutrition, food fortification has become vital in addressing the prevalence of anemia. However, the critics of the fortification say that there is no evidence that it reduces anaemia.
Considering the role of fortified rice in overcoming anaemia, the Union Government has budgeted an estimated Rs 2900 crore per annum to implement rice fortification in the country in a phased manner. In such a situation, testing becomes more important and taking a proper sample for testing is also equally important.
By giving the freedom to the professionals to implement the current order, the food regulator has a lot of responsibility on the industry itself. Industry will have to live to the responsibility bestowed upon it by the regulator by ensuring that the guidelines are observed by all.
In the monsoon session of the Parliament, the Lok Sabha was told that nearly a quarter of the food samples collected by the FSSAI in the last three years did not comply with the standards. Between 2019-20 and 2021-22 3.7 lakh food samples were collected. Out of which 90,473 were found to be non-complying to the standards. In one testing DNA fingerprinting and diagnostics had found nearly half of the 495 Basmati rice samples were not of the famed variety and were adulterated.
Given the high percentage of food samples which are adulterated or non-compliant with standards, food testing becomes all the more indispensable. Laying down guidelines for procuring samples for such tests is surely the right step forward by the regulator. Another surefire approach would be to penalise wilful and repeat violators of food safety and quality guidelines.