When it comes to food in India, what image comes to your mind first? Nowadays, the issue of food safety in India has suddenly become a focus of public opinion.
According to Reuters reporting on September 8th local time, India is currently embarking on an unprecedented food safety campaign. Regulatory authorities have increased inspections, forcing many local restaurants and chain brands to suspend operations. Meanwhile, the proposal to add warning labels on the front of food packaging has also caused concerns among India's packaging food industry, which is worth over $100 billion.
Indian consumers have long complained about poor hygiene in restaurants and cafes. Scandals involving food adulteration often draw attention on social media, and street food stalls are criticized for inadequate hygienic conditions.
According to data from the Indian government, since 2020, food inspectors have tested over 100,000 samples each year. Approximately one-fifth of these samples were found to be unsafe, non-compliant, or lacking proper labeling. In the past three years, nearly 8,000 food business licenses have been revoked.
The Indian Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) stated last month that ensuring food safety in a country with a population of 1.4 billion and a annual consumption of nearly 1.5 trillion servings of meals is a “challenging task”.
Recently, FSSAI and some state-level regulatory agencies have increased inspections, and they frequently release photos and videos of surprise inspections. During one operation, inspectors raided a facility with poor hygiene conditions in Uttar Pradesh, seizing 1300 kilograms of adulterated Indian cheese (Paneer).
In Maharashtra, surprise inspections by food regulators have even garnered widespread public support. These inspections targeted brands such as Domino's, Pizza Hut, McDonald's, as well as high-end clubs and restaurants in Mumbai and its surrounding areas. At the end of last month, a team conducted an raid at a warehouse, where they discovered that food products manufactured by Pepsi, Nestle, Coca-Cola, and Unilever for export had issues with falsified expiration dates and nutritional information. The Canadian authorities have indicated that they are evaluating whether there is any risk associated with these imported products.
Meanwhile, the front warning labels on food packaging, which have been discussed in India for many years, are once again becoming a focus. The proposal aims to label foods with high levels of sugar, salt, and fat. Chile and Mexico have already implemented similar measures, but India has repeatedly shelved the proposal due to industry opposition. Now, FSSAI has proposed a new solution: if at least two of the three nutritional components—saturated fat, sugar, or salt—in the food are high in concentration, a red hexagonal warning sign should be added to the packaging label.
However, this proposal has also encountered opposition from food industry and public health advocates. Food industry executives told Reuters that the proposed standards for sugar, fat, and salt content are too strict, which could lead to a large number of packaged foods being labeled with warning labels. A CEO of an Indian food company even said, “Everything will turn red.”
The industry organization representing snack and candy manufacturers is concerned that sugar, salt, and fat are essential components of many traditional foods. Prominent warning labels may harm product sales. On the other hand, health advocates believe the standards are too lenient. Warning labels are only required when two or more nutrients exceed the specified limits at the same time. This creates what they call a “vulnerability in favor of the industry,” which ignores public health concerns.
