The Hindu Business Line : Making food safe

A COMBINATION OF robust economic growth leading to rising incomes, population growth and access to imported foods following a liberal foreign trade policy is set to push the market for processed foods onto a high growth path. The double-digit growth prospect is strengthened by growing urbanisation, nuclear families and changing lifestyles. No wonder, the country's nascent food-processing industry aims to grow at about 10 per cent a year over the next decade, creating incomes and huge employment opportunities in the rural areas. The `demonstration effect' on a middle-class exposed to Western lifestyles as also the aspects of convenience and health provide the impetus to the demand in the urban areas. It is estimated that the investment needed to build the processing capacity and develop the market over the next 10 years is about Rs 1,00,000 crore. Besides allowing 100 per cent foreign direct investment in food processing industry, the Government has also granted a number of fiscal incentives.

To cope with this evolving market and the associated challenges, the country is to get a law to enforce food safety and quality standards. Introduced in the Lok Sabha, the Food Safety and Standards Bill, 2005 seeks to consolidate all the laws on the subject and establish a Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. It is expected to set scientific standards for food articles and regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food. Currently, eight Ministries administer food laws, but when the new legislation comes into force, as many as eight, including the archaic Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, would stand repealed. Good manufacturing practices and an alert consumer movement are integral to a vibrant food-processing sector. Given the fragmented nature of the industry as also the wide geographical spread of the market, the principal challenge for agencies enforcing food laws is trained manpower and testing facilities. For the unified food law to succeed, an adequate number of modern laboratories have to be set up across the country and manned by trained professionals. When this happens, the `principle of equivalence' will apply and the quality certificates issued by these laboratories will be valid in other countries. The few laboratories now operational have neither the right equipment nor trained personnel. The report that the Government plans to set up 40 modern laboratories (and upgrade the existing 19) is encouraging.

The proposed Food Authority must shun a bureaucratic approach in addressing the genuine issues of the industry, but play a proactive and facilitatory role. This is particularly important as import or export of any food item would be subject to the licence issued by the Authority. This should not be perceived as raising a non-tariff barrier. One sure way of gaining the confidence of business and consumers is to apprehend quickly the offenders and ensure transparent dispensation of justice. Finally, the will to enforce the law is necessary. Uniformity in law enforcement and interpretation of the statute across States is necessary.

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