Honey, we’ve shrunk our food standards

 

Ils

A recent report by Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment claims honey sold by major brands in India is adulterated. That does set the cat among the pigeons.

India is a major exporter of honey, and the report has a bearing on India’s reputation abroad. Further, it calls into question the efficacy of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI): all the brands in question bear its stamp of quality. In the interest of consumer welfare, Indian export growth and brand authenticity, the government must institute a thorough inquiry into the quality of the honey sold under different brand names in India.

Indian standards for food are, by and large, on par with global norms. It is in enforcing standards that there is a lag. In part, this is because of a large and unorganised food industry that makes up the supply chain even for organised manufacturers, as we see in the case of honey (whether it is the use of sugar syrup or presence of antibiotics and other impurities).

The FSSAI needs to step up its efforts to ensure compliance across the value chain. Further, it must educate the public on things such as the relevance of nuclear magnetic resonance testing for honey, especially when it is collected from multiple varieties of plants and is guaranteed to be non-homogeneous in composition.

The demands of health and safety of consumers, the need to ensure confidence in products available in the market, and protection of shareholder value of companies manufacturing these products call for far greater focus on the manner in which food safety norms are implemented and compliance ensured.

FSSAI must itself come under effective supervision, answering to a committee of Parliament. That would shore up necessary public faith in the regulator.(https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/blogs/et-editorials/honey-weve-shrunk-our-food-standards/)