Food Safety - Inputs on Issues
Earlier this year, we had initiated the subject of Food Safety. Below are the key issues as suggested by you. In light of the current events, kindly review them and list any additional issues or causes you can think of.
We would like to expedite this whitepaper and request actions that will drive sustainable change in the way Food Safety authorities function in India.
Food Safety in India – Key Issues
1. Harmful food colours are added to food
2. Big food manufacturers do not follow complete safety standards
3. High levels of MSG and lead are common in packaged products
4. Corruption in Food Safety/Approval bodies is common practice
5. Government food safety evaluation techniques, processes and controls are broken
6. Roadside vendors and small food shops do not prepare the food hygienically, bacteria of human excreta is common in street food
7. Kitchens of many restaurants are dirty with rodents running around
8. In small food plants, the food is prepared under unhealthy conditions
9. Food handlers don’t use gloves while touching the food
10. Adulterated raw material is used to prepare food
11. Fake products of certain brands are being sold openly in markets
12. Fruits are injected with chemicals to make them taste better
13. Rotting chicken is sold to unsuspecting people in restaurants
14. On many packed food items, the sellers modify the expiry date to reduce their losses
15. Shopkeepers knowingly buy batches of expired items at low cost so that they could earn big profits
16. Vendors mix urea in milk
17. Roadside vendors cook the food once and sell it for days
18. A very high level of pesticide contamination is found in vegetables, fruits but also in other food items like food grains, pulses, onions, potatoes
19. Meat/Poultry storage standards not maintained by all
20. The folks serving/selling food in India are ignorant or just care about earning their bucks more