“Food Safety – Role of Standards”
Prof. K.V. Thomas
Minister of State (I/C)
Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
"God comes to the hungry in the form of food” is a famous quote by Mahatma Gandhi. Food is essential to nourish any living being. Our physical and mental health also depends on the food we eat. For human beings, the journey from hunter-gatherers to that of a connoisseur of cuisine has been a long, long one. Like in any other civilization, food and eating habits in India are influenced by various aspects such as geography and climate and have contributed their share in the overall development of Indian cultural identity in its present form.
Access to good quality and safe food has been man's main endeavour from the earliest days of human existence. By definition, Food Safety is the condition that ensures that food by itself causes no harm to the consumer when prepared and/or eaten according to their intended use. It implies absence or acceptable and safe levels of contaminants, adulterants, naturally occurring toxins or any other substance that may make food injurious to health. Consumers are taking unprecedented interest in the way food is produced, processed and marketed, and are increasingly calling for strong initiatives from government and industry for food safety and consumer protection. As an awareness of food safety among our citizens is showing an upward trend, the need for an assurance about the safety and quality of food is also greatly felt.
Today the commonly used phrase ‘farm-to-fork’ has taken a different dimension from earlier times. Earlier, farm produce was consumed locally with the effects of pollutants and contaminants being minimal. Now the situation is different – the phrase ‘farm-to-fork’ does not remain local any longer since the farm may be located hundreds of kilo-meters away or perhaps in a different continent altogether. Ever-increasing presence of pesticides and preservation methods in conjunction with other variables such as contamination during transportation and storage add to our concerns about safety of farm produce.
Food and agricultural products constitute an important segment of world trade. India has made significant strides over past several decades in food production as well as in exports of food products. India is in fact numero uno in the production of milk, sugarcane, cashew and spices and the second largest producer of rice, wheat, pulses, fruit and vegetables in the world today. It possesses the largest share of cattle and buffaloes in the world, the second largest share of sheep and goats, the third largest of marine landings, and occupies the fifth position in poultry production - placing India among the 15 leading exporters of agricultural products in the world. During 2010-11, exports of agricultural and allied products registered a robust growth rate of 39.3 per cent.
The globalization and the resultant international trade has a two-fold benefit: it introduces a wider variety of foods into the diet by providing consumers with a bigger and better choice of products; and it provides food exporting countries with foreign exchange, which is indispensable for the economic development of any country, and thus for an improvement in the standards of living of the people. However, Globalization is also adding a new external dimension to the issue of food safety. In order to be a successful food exporter, a country must produce food that is not only acceptable to consumers in other countries, but also comply with the regulatory or statutory requirements of the importing countries.
In this scenario, the inevitable effects of globalization on issues of food safety should be seen more as a challenge and not just as an impediment to a nation’s march towards reaching a bigger international market share. Standards, I believe, are powerful tools in our hands to respond to this challenge. Role of standards in the domain of food safety is immense. Standards promote public health by reducing the risk of food-borne illnesses. They protect consumers from unsanitary, unwholesome, improperly-labeled or adulterated food, and provide a sound regulatory foundation for domestic and international trade in foo
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the National standards body of India, is engaged in standards formulation and conformity assessment. The main objectives behind formulation of standards include:
Promoting public health by reducing the risk of food borne illness;
Protecting consumers from unsanitary, unwholesome, mislabeled or adulterated food; and
Providing a sound regulatory foundation for domestic and international trade in food.
The BIS has made significant contribution by way of formulating a number of Indian Standards in various fields in accordance with the needs and priorities of our country and adopting various International Standards to suit our national conditions. BIS has formulated about 18700 Indian Standards, covering various technological areas. About 88% of Indian Standards have already been harmonized to International Standards where such International Standards exist. BIS has been promoting these Indian Standards through organization of seminars, like this one.
BIS has also formulated about 1000 Indian Standards in the area of food products and food safety. This includes IS/ISO 22000: 2005 ‘Food Safety Management Systems – Requirements for any organization in the food chain’. IS/ISO 22000: 2005 is an internationally harmonized standard and has emerged as the international bench mark for food safety. The retail sector in India is booming now and food sector is no exception to it. The importance of hygiene in food preparation and the responsibility of the food manufacturing industry need no emphasis. Three newly released Indian Standards in food safety concerning (i) food retail management; (ii) good hygiene practices; and (iii) organizations in the food processing sector are expected to give the necessary fillip to safeguarding and increasing food standards as prevailing now, in addition to acting as foundations of Food Safety Management System. They delineate the basic conditions and activities that are necessary to maintain a hygienic environment throughout the food chain suitable for the production, handling and provision of safe end products for human consumption, leading to a better and safer food management system in the country.
Another area that merits special attention is that of street food. This sector has shown phenomenal growth recently. Readily accessible and affordable to urban populations, street food provides the energy and nutrient needs to large segments of workers and their families in the cities. This sector is also a source of livelihood for a large number of people, the street vendors. However, it cannot be denied that food safety is a major concern with street foods prepared and sold under unhygienic conditions posing a high risk of food-borne diseases due to microbial contamination, improper use of food additives, adulteration and environmental contamination, etc. The customers are also found to be having limited access to clean water, sanitary services, or garbage disposal facilities. BIS has recently finalized an Indian Standard on basic requirements for street food vendors which is praiseworthy. These Indian Standards have immense potential to safeguard public health and also promote the confidence of the consumer over the entire spectrum of food industry.
These Indian Standards have immense potential to safeguard public health and also promote the confidence of the consumer on entire gamut of food industry, if implemented efficiently. Implementation of these standards can give rise to exceptional improvements in food safety performance, but requires high level of commitment and full functional involvement of all stakeholders, particularly the industry.
***
Prof. K.V. Thomas
Minister of State (I/C)
Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
"God comes to the hungry in the form of food” is a famous quote by Mahatma Gandhi. Food is essential to nourish any living being. Our physical and mental health also depends on the food we eat. For human beings, the journey from hunter-gatherers to that of a connoisseur of cuisine has been a long, long one. Like in any other civilization, food and eating habits in India are influenced by various aspects such as geography and climate and have contributed their share in the overall development of Indian cultural identity in its present form.
Access to good quality and safe food has been man's main endeavour from the earliest days of human existence. By definition, Food Safety is the condition that ensures that food by itself causes no harm to the consumer when prepared and/or eaten according to their intended use. It implies absence or acceptable and safe levels of contaminants, adulterants, naturally occurring toxins or any other substance that may make food injurious to health. Consumers are taking unprecedented interest in the way food is produced, processed and marketed, and are increasingly calling for strong initiatives from government and industry for food safety and consumer protection. As an awareness of food safety among our citizens is showing an upward trend, the need for an assurance about the safety and quality of food is also greatly felt.
Today the commonly used phrase ‘farm-to-fork’ has taken a different dimension from earlier times. Earlier, farm produce was consumed locally with the effects of pollutants and contaminants being minimal. Now the situation is different – the phrase ‘farm-to-fork’ does not remain local any longer since the farm may be located hundreds of kilo-meters away or perhaps in a different continent altogether. Ever-increasing presence of pesticides and preservation methods in conjunction with other variables such as contamination during transportation and storage add to our concerns about safety of farm produce.
Food and agricultural products constitute an important segment of world trade. India has made significant strides over past several decades in food production as well as in exports of food products. India is in fact numero uno in the production of milk, sugarcane, cashew and spices and the second largest producer of rice, wheat, pulses, fruit and vegetables in the world today. It possesses the largest share of cattle and buffaloes in the world, the second largest share of sheep and goats, the third largest of marine landings, and occupies the fifth position in poultry production - placing India among the 15 leading exporters of agricultural products in the world. During 2010-11, exports of agricultural and allied products registered a robust growth rate of 39.3 per cent.
The globalization and the resultant international trade has a two-fold benefit: it introduces a wider variety of foods into the diet by providing consumers with a bigger and better choice of products; and it provides food exporting countries with foreign exchange, which is indispensable for the economic development of any country, and thus for an improvement in the standards of living of the people. However, Globalization is also adding a new external dimension to the issue of food safety. In order to be a successful food exporter, a country must produce food that is not only acceptable to consumers in other countries, but also comply with the regulatory or statutory requirements of the importing countries.
In this scenario, the inevitable effects of globalization on issues of food safety should be seen more as a challenge and not just as an impediment to a nation’s march towards reaching a bigger international market share. Standards, I believe, are powerful tools in our hands to respond to this challenge. Role of standards in the domain of food safety is immense. Standards promote public health by reducing the risk of food-borne illnesses. They protect consumers from unsanitary, unwholesome, improperly-labeled or adulterated food, and provide a sound regulatory foundation for domestic and international trade in foo
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the National standards body of India, is engaged in standards formulation and conformity assessment. The main objectives behind formulation of standards include:
Promoting public health by reducing the risk of food borne illness;
Protecting consumers from unsanitary, unwholesome, mislabeled or adulterated food; and
Providing a sound regulatory foundation for domestic and international trade in food.
The BIS has made significant contribution by way of formulating a number of Indian Standards in various fields in accordance with the needs and priorities of our country and adopting various International Standards to suit our national conditions. BIS has formulated about 18700 Indian Standards, covering various technological areas. About 88% of Indian Standards have already been harmonized to International Standards where such International Standards exist. BIS has been promoting these Indian Standards through organization of seminars, like this one.
BIS has also formulated about 1000 Indian Standards in the area of food products and food safety. This includes IS/ISO 22000: 2005 ‘Food Safety Management Systems – Requirements for any organization in the food chain’. IS/ISO 22000: 2005 is an internationally harmonized standard and has emerged as the international bench mark for food safety. The retail sector in India is booming now and food sector is no exception to it. The importance of hygiene in food preparation and the responsibility of the food manufacturing industry need no emphasis. Three newly released Indian Standards in food safety concerning (i) food retail management; (ii) good hygiene practices; and (iii) organizations in the food processing sector are expected to give the necessary fillip to safeguarding and increasing food standards as prevailing now, in addition to acting as foundations of Food Safety Management System. They delineate the basic conditions and activities that are necessary to maintain a hygienic environment throughout the food chain suitable for the production, handling and provision of safe end products for human consumption, leading to a better and safer food management system in the country.
Another area that merits special attention is that of street food. This sector has shown phenomenal growth recently. Readily accessible and affordable to urban populations, street food provides the energy and nutrient needs to large segments of workers and their families in the cities. This sector is also a source of livelihood for a large number of people, the street vendors. However, it cannot be denied that food safety is a major concern with street foods prepared and sold under unhygienic conditions posing a high risk of food-borne diseases due to microbial contamination, improper use of food additives, adulteration and environmental contamination, etc. The customers are also found to be having limited access to clean water, sanitary services, or garbage disposal facilities. BIS has recently finalized an Indian Standard on basic requirements for street food vendors which is praiseworthy. These Indian Standards have immense potential to safeguard public health and also promote the confidence of the consumer over the entire spectrum of food industry.
These Indian Standards have immense potential to safeguard public health and also promote the confidence of the consumer on entire gamut of food industry, if implemented efficiently. Implementation of these standards can give rise to exceptional improvements in food safety performance, but requires high level of commitment and full functional involvement of all stakeholders, particularly the industry.
***
