RAMPANT MISBRANDING AND MISLABELING-SMALL CAN BE UGLY TOO!

Every consumer knows what is meant by food adulteration and its consequences. Though it is an arduous task for a common man scouting for the food that makes up the daily diet, advent of branding and the front of the pack labeling regulations make the task some what easier. The nutrient labeling provision is another tool in the armory of the consumer to pick and choose the food that fits the individual needs. After the setting up of FSSAI at Delhi the consumer expectations have soared on the possibility of adulterators being brought to book by this much heralded safety agency. That this is not happening is a big disappointment for may honest citizens as reflected by increasing incidences of food frauds reported from all parts of the country. Added to this, few courts have intervened to suspend the operation of some of the key provisions of Food Safety Act making the food market environment highly dangerous. Recent report from Indore regarding the wide prevalence of mis-branding amply reflect this reality. Here is as take on the same.

"The problem of misbranding is on the rise in the city, especially when it comes to food products. For starters, misbranding means wrong packing number and dates on the product. This problem is as dangerous in nature as the adulteration was. Out of a total of 80 samples of various products as collected by the food department based on complaints since the coming into force of thefood safety Act, 2006, nearly half of them were found to be misbranded. The manufacturers normally involve themselves in such illegal acts to cheat the customers so as to keep their cash register ringing, say experts. First, by not mentioning the batch number and date of manufacturing of the product, they can simply keep selling the product even beyond the expiry date, add they. Talking to ToI, Manish Swamy, food safety officer, said that we have started working according to the provision of the new Food Safety Act. Forget adulteration, the misbranding of the products by the manufacturers has become a big problem in the city, said Swamy. It is why we have issued only 130 fresh licences as against 1000 applications received by us from the prospective food traders, said he.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Madhya Pradesh Food Product Manufacturers and Sellers Association is planning to call on the opposition party parliamentarians in New Delhi shortly to urge them to raise voice against the Food safety Act in Parliament. It was confirmed by the president of the federation, Ramesh Khandelwal."

FSSAI itself had reported some time back that milk vended through out the country is adulterated heavily and unsuspecting citizens are being taken for a ride in places like Delhi under its very nose! What is disturbing is the stand taken by small traders to resist the operation of food safety laws in the name of harassment to them by the inspection officials in the market. Though there may be some truth in this claim, not enforcing the Act is not the remedy. Democracy does not mean chaos because of misuse of the freedom enshrined in the constitution. The much maligned branded foods offered by organized industry and major players offer safer products and small players must understand this situation. Food safety regulations must be enforced no matter how strongly the small scale industry and the unorganized traders protest their operation.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com