A recent report found that 70 per cent of mustard oil available in market is adulterated. Not only food fraud is causing an economic headache but it is damaging people’s health, says Chander S Jeena
To spread awareness about food safety and to reduce the causes of foodborne diseases, the second World Food Safety Day (WFSD) was observed on June 7, 2020. The calls to action are ensure it is safe, grow it safe, keep it safe and eat it safe & team up for safety.
In the current scenario, with the pandemic situation, its importance becomes more relevant and needs attention from all the stakeholders. While Government & business operations must ensure food safety, agriculture and food products need to adopt good practices, consumers need to be aware of their rights for having authentic & safe food. While the world needs a new era of smarter food safety, there are various challenges ahead in achieving this. One of them is food fraud. It has become a major issue around the globe. According to PriceWaterhouseCoopers study, food fraud is estimated to cost the global industry $30-40 billion a year. Not only is this issue causing an economic headache but it is damaging people’s health. Consumers are losing faith in their food as the number of contaminant cases has increased exponentially. Understanding its seriousness, Interpol, together with Europol, has been conducting operation OPSON since 2011 targeting fake and sub-standard food and beverages. In the latest seizure conducted between December 2018 — April 2019, 78 countries took part in this and resulted in more than 67,000 checks carried out at shops, markets, airports, seaports, and industrial estates. 672 individuals were arrested, around 16000 tonnes, and 33 million liters of likely fake food and drink worth Euro 100 million seized.
Unfortunately, the situation is not very different in India. Recent news reported in the media shows an alarming state of affairs. Very recently, Delhi Police busted a gang which had been operating for the past seven years who were involved in the manufacturing of fake cumin. More than 450 bags each containing 20 Kg of fake cumin were seized by the police. The seized fake cumin was made of stone dust, semolina, and a grass paste. Consumption of this could cause serious health hazards. This is just one of the many instances across the country but reflects on the gravity of the situation.
Harcourt Butler Technical University conducted a study in Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh), which is a big market for edible oil and supplies to other states. The report found that 70 percent of the mustard oil available in the market is adulterated. In another category, FSSAI banned more than 170 brands of coconut Oil in Kerala in 2018, after they were found to be adulterated. Adulteration of food products not only decreases the quality but can also lead to several ill effects on health. Nearly 4% of the one lakh food and beverage samples analysed by the states and Union Territories last year were found to be unsafe, about 16% were sub-standard and 9% were mislabelled, shows data released by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
All stakeholders need to become aware of the role they can play in developing the food safety ecosystem and actively contribute towards it. As a country requires more development in current national food laws and an urgent need to adopt an effective traceability system to improve and change within the current food industry and food supply chain. To bring about a change there are various challenges which need to be addressed, such as enhancing visibility and transparency for food export products, minimising the risk of food safety issues such as certifications, agro-terrorism threats, reduction in food wastage, and reducing product recall cost.
The writer is Secretary of Authentication Solution Providers' Association