Our control over our food and our health requires inventive institutional reordering and new ideas about the way food regulations work, writes Sunita Narain.
The Food contamination is harmful and shows the complete disregard of the regulatory system for safety over business. What can be done? The obvious answer is to improve the science of food regulation.
But no one is discussing how India should devise its regulations in a way they can promote food which is good for its people in terms of nutrition and health.
The answer is not so obvious because even though food regulations all over the world are designed for consumer safety, they end up compromising on the consumer’s health by willy-nilly pushing bad food and bad industrial food practices. So, the question I have is:
How does India improve not just the science but also the art of good food?
Even as I write this, two important discussions are taking place in two important food countries. In the US, the Senate is hotly debating the Food Safety and Accountability Act 2010, which would give more powers to the country’s food and drug administration to inspect and recall contaminated or mislabelled food.
The Experts Thought: Food Safety has always been a major Challenge in India in terms of its regulation, its implementation and other regional Problems. Maintaining it accessible to all sections of society would be a tough job either.
November 1st, 2011 at 12:42 pm
Content and Intent are missing in the schemes being introduced in our country, while we are setting up science based regulatory bodies the fact is they are heavy at top what about the other end of this chain? where are the resources? How can we expect that the Raj style inspectors can link science with Food safety.
While Science in regualtion is very important, right resource in the front end for implementation and education is also top priority.
Until there is a gap in these two streams disregard of safety over business will continue
November 1st, 2011 at 12:43 pm
Vendors shuld be educated to know and follow best practices to keep and sell safe food.There is need to develop such programs and run in public.I do not know how new food regulation emphasize on training needs.
November 4th, 2011 at 9:17 am
Well,it needs a strong outlook by the government to revise /review its regulations on food safety and security.It needs strong conviction and stubborness to implement the norms by the officials and of course by the general public.Social awareness on food safety to be created by the state government too by way of banners/free education campaign.Even small countries in middle east sucessfully implementing and improving food safety.Its nothing but a attitude and nothing means.when they can;why can’t we?