Reliable and scientifically worked out standards are available to day for practically every food that is manufactured by the industry but what is lacking is the effectiveness of the implementation system which varies from country to country. In a country like India consumer depends heavily on government authorities to enforce safety standards since the credibility of any thing and every thing associated with private players is not easily trusted. In contrast in the US private enforcers play a crucial role in certification programs by investing in the infrastructure needed for the purpose. While government oversight is assumed to be there, private certification gives added confidence to the consumers as these agencies can be held accountable for deficiencies.
"Even brand name recognition is not the most powerful indicator of safety," said Peterson. "Voluntary third party certification compares favourably with mandatory government inspection and slightly ahead of traceability labelling in the mind of the consumer. In fact, most consumers would advise the food industry to invest proportionately more in certification programs than in government inspection or traceability.
There was a time when Bureau of Indian Standards (BSI) was able to provide quality assurance for ISI certified foods and the standards for these foods were slightly higher than those under the PFA which is statutory minimum standards to which all foods must conform. How ever BSI is also a GOI agency and its certification has no teeth because of its poor enforcement infrastructure. With the advent of international certification agencies in India especially for export products and organic foods, private sector is expected to play a major role in the coming years. There is even an optimism that Indian based certifiers may become a force to reckon with in the international arena soon.
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