The Hindu Business Line : Food safety

With expanding trade volumes, the risk of unsafe food products entering the country is heightened. Strict quality inspection and certification are vital.

New Delhi should be complimented for the swift response to the threat of unsafe foods entering the country. The ban on import of poultry, meat and meat products and several other livestock products from countries affected by the dreaded bird flu or avian influenza has been quickly followed by an embargo on milk and dairy products from China in the wake of reports of hospitalisation and death of children affected by milk contaminated with melamine. The latter, a preventive measure (India does not import dairy products from China) is no doubt timely. This is not the first time that an product imported from China is tainted. There was adulteration of animal feed with a toxic non-food additive a couple of years ago that made international headlines. Toys from China were also the subject of import control on quality grounds. As for the response to avian flu, while banning poultry and meat products, the government has exempted import of pet foods containing meat from avian species. The logic is unclear. It would be a weak argument to say that such pet foods do not enter the human food chain.

Be that as it may, policymakers need to comprehend the hazards and unintended consequences arising out of liberalisation of foreign trade without ensuring adequate investment in setting up requisite entry inspection measures. With India increasingly integrating with the global market and foreign-trade volumes expanding by leaps and bounds, the risk of unsafe products entering the country is heightened. Without strict quality inspection and certification of imported goods by quarantine, phyto-sanitary and public health authorities, and customs houses across the country, there is the real danger of not only sub-standard but also patently unsafe foods entering the country. Testing houses are often hamstrung by lack of trained personnel and appropriate testing equipment. For instance, how does the government enforce the law that stipulates strict regulation of genetically-modified food imports and distribution? There is a strong case for upgrading the public laboratories and also to train technical personnel for survey and quality testing.

There is no practical alternative to insulating the country from health risks entering from outside. Admittedly, the level of consumer awareness here is still low; and that puts the onus of food safety squarely on the Government. Closer co-ordination among various ministries of the Central Government — Commerce, Agriculture, Health, Finance, Food and Consumer Affairs — is perhaps necessary to pick up early warning signals. The domestic industry and import trade too have a social responsibility to co-operate with the policymakers. Food safety and consumer protection must override commercial considerations.

Related Stories:
Ban on milk products from China
NECC urges Centre to extend ban on maize exports

More Stories on : Editorial | Dairy & Dairy Products | Standards & Benchmarks

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