From McDonald’s to Patanjali, an IAS officer explains how FSSAI is making food safer

In 2018, it was because of FSSAI's directives that 10,500 non-compliant food vendors were delisted by food delivery services like Zomato, Swiggy and UberEats.

Customers come out from McDonald's restaurant at Commercial Market in Bengaluru | Dhiraj Singh | Bloomberg

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India last week sent a show cause notice to fast food franchise McDonald’s.

In our notice, we asked why action should not be initiated against it for the full-page newspaper advertisement that read: “Stuck with ghiya-tori again? Make the 1+1 Combo you love”.

Ghiya and tori, called bottle gourd and sponge gourd in English, are an age-old part of the wide spectrum of vegetables in Indian home cooking. But for an alarming number of Indian children, vegetables are boring, compared to smartly packed and advertised fast food combos (high in fat, sugar and salt).

This is leading to serious health issues. India ranks second in the list of countries with the highest number of obese children. According to a global study, 14.4 million cases were reported in India in 2017. In the past decade, global researchers have proposed steps to tackle this: including restricting advertising of unhealthy foods to children and improving the nutritional quality of school meals.

Given this dangerous trend, disparaging freshly cooked food is not cool. And McDonald’s advertisement violates the provisions of India’s Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018.

Tightening the noose on non-compliant outlets

This is what we do at FSSAI: make food safer in India.

For instance, in April 2018, we sent a directive to leading food delivery providers like Zomato, Swiggy, Foodpanda and UberEats to delist non-FSSAI licensed food businesses from their platforms.

The FSSAI then helped them audit every restaurant listed on their platforms across the country. In February, Zomato delisted more than 5,000 restaurants found non-compliant with the FSSAI’s hygiene standards. It also started educating its restaurant partners to comply with the food safety regulatory body’s hygiene standards, and obtain a licence. In six months, the number of compliant restaurants on the platform increased by more than 30,000. Swiggy has also been working with Equinox Labs, a food-audit firm accredited by FSSAI and NABL, on food hygiene audits at restaurants to ensure that food is prepared in accordance with the hygiene standards set by the FSSAI. Overall, 10,500 food vendors were delisted in 2018 by food delivery companies including Zomato, Swiggy and Foodpanda.

It didn’t end there. In December, we issued new guidelines under which even food and grocery delivery chains need to procure relevant licences. The FSSAI’s inspection teams can now conduct random checks anywhere along the supply chain. These guidelines are aimed at ensuring that the food delivered is fresh and prepared under hygienic conditions, and that last-mile delivery is undertaken by trained personnel.

Educating both consumers and producers

We’ve been at it for a couple of years now. In 2015, we served notice to Patanjali for selling atta noodles without seeking the mandatory approval of the FSSAI first. The company was also issued another notice in 2016 for releasing allegedly misleading advertisements about its mustard oil.

In a country of more than 1.3 billion people, where many lack basic amenities, ensuring safe and healthy food for all sounds like an impossible task. 

Despite the incredibly diverse culinary habits and practices prevalent in India, formulating laws and issuing guidelines was the relatively easy part. Enforcing them is a different matter altogether. The sheer number of unregulated eateries, restaurants, grocery stores, street vendors and markets across the country, and the lack of hygienic facilities pose one set of challenges. The lack of knowledge about how to store, package and distribute food without contamination or adulteration adds to the complexity of the problem.

We, therefore, tried a fresh approach that shifted the focus away from enforcement to empowerment and capacity-building. The case of Zomato helping its suppliers apply for licences is an example of this approach. There are also professional networks and community workers who spread awareness and educate both producers and consumers about the right to healthy food at the grassroots level.

Good wholesome food everyone’s right

The other critical aspect is testing. In order to quickly identify adulteration and keep abreast of the latest developments and advances in food and allied industries, the National Food Laboratory in Ghaziabad has tied up with various international outfits to train technicians in advanced analytical techniques and methods.

Several private laboratories across the country have been authorised by the FSSAI to conduct tests. We must remember that development of food standards is a dynamic process that keeps changing with newer developments in food science, consumption patterns, new products, additives and processing technology, as well as the identification of new risks or other regulatory options.

So, when you step out for a meal, or order it online, how do you know that the food was made under hygienic conditions? A roadside vendor might worry you but what about the restaurant kitchen you can’t see? When the milkman delivers milk at your doorstep early in the morning, how can you be sure that it has not been adulterated or diluted and that it is safe for your child to consume?

Today, it’s as simple as remembering to check whether a food outlet is FSSAI-certified or not. As for the milk, a simple, cheap lactometer is all that you need to ensure that it is safe for consumption. At the end of the day, good wholesome food is everyone’s right.

The author is Secretary, Government of India, and CEO of FSSAI. Views are personal.