In a democratic country there will be difference of views and when it comes to the safety of citizens such divergence of opinion should not cause inertia and laxity in deciding on the best course of action to ensure consumer safety. Powerful technological tools have made it possible to churn out thousands of food products with different sensory quality offering a wide choice to every segment of the society. But world has not yet come up with a fail-safe system to help consumer to know whether a packed food is safe or not at any given time. Any description that advices the buyer regarding the quality of the product does not explicitly commit whether the product can still be consumed after the date indicated.
It is not only in India that consumer is left in the lurch on this issue but even in developed countries like the US, the problem does exist. "Millions of consumers experience the confusion of product dating, primarily because it is confusing. One package might have a "sell by" date, another a "best before" date, and yet another, a "use by" date. Some products even use what is called a Julian Date, which is perfectly understandable as long as you're a mathematician"
Probably it may be unfair to criticize agencies entrusted with consumer safety in India about any laxity on the issue since it is a global phenomenon defying a satisfactory solution. Probably an expiry date indicating a cut off time point beyond which the product is unsafe may be more appropriate. The recent exhortation by a British Minister to the citizens to ignore "best before" date declaration on food products label in order to avoid unnecessary food wastage further highlights the confusion that exists to day vis-à-vis this area.
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