In science and academics, the search for the truth is the main driving force for advancement. Ego and stubbornness are stumbling blocks. When it comes to policymaking for millions of people in India with regard to their health and safety, it should be guided by science and hard evidence generated from systematic research.
The interview, Expert panel will study star rating: FSSAI CEO ( The Hindu, Inside pages, May 6, 2022), with Arun Singhal, CEO, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), reflects a different story. The FSSAI is a regulator on healthy and safe foods produced in the country, constituted by the government, for the people and funded by tax-payer’s money. It should be impartial and uninfluenced by the same food industry which it has to control and regulate.
“Six rounds of stake holder consultations already conducted” — a line in the interview — do not exempt the FSSAI from any more consultations if pending issues have still to be sorted out. Unresolved issues may require more consultations with the new evidence generated. If the consultation is dominated by the industry, how can consumer interest be protected adequately? The classification of foods, as healthy or unhealthy, is a technical or professional step. This should be decided by a governance body such as the FSSAI or food and nutrition experts or professionals. Not by the food industry or manufacturers.
