Members of the food industry and experts have welcomed the series of measures, introduced by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and Spices Board of India, to maintain quality check of food products sold within the country and of those exported while stating that despite the regulatory ecosystem for food articles in India being one of the most comprehensive frameworks in the world it continues to grapple lack of ground-level implementation.
The measures have been brought in following the recent suspension of sale of certain spice blends from two leading brands in India by Singapore and Hong Kong. The suspension was allegedly due to elevated levels of ethylene oxide (ETO), a known carcinogen.
As part of its remedial measures FSSAI has now put under surveillance food items including fruit and vegetables, salmonella in fish products, spice and culinary herbs, fortified rice, and milk and milk products in and directed comprehensive testing of spices from all brands across India. It has also asked State governments to conduct spice testing to guarantee quality, a senior FSSAI official confirmed.
