There is a regulatory vaccum in GM food, says CEO of FSSAI

In a study released in the last week of July, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) says it tested 65 food products and found 21 of them testing positive for material from genetically-engineered (GE) plants.

The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 specifically authorised FSSAI to come out with regulations.

In a study released in the last week of July, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) says it tested 65 food products and found 21 of them testing positive for material from genetically-engineered (GE) plants. Of these, 16 were imported. It has raised an alarm and has called on the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to ban such food products, though India releases GE crops for cultivation (only cotton so far) after they are found to be safe for humans, animals and the environment. Vivian Fernandes interviewed the CEO of FSSAI, Pawan Kumar Agarwal. Here is an edited and annotated version:

Is the manufacture, import and sale of food containing genetically-modified (GM) plant material disallowed in India?

There is a regulatory vacuum as far as GM food is concerned. The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 specifically authorised FSSAI to come out with regulations. Until 2016, the environment ministry had issued an order under their act (the Environment Protection Act), which kept the provision that we could regulate it, in abeyance. Once that was withdrawn, we started working on how this could be regulated. We have a scientific panel which has met several times and the regulations have been finalised. The threshold above which we have to label (food containing GM material) was part of the labelling regulations. Now that we are coming out with GM regulations, that provision is being taken out and inserted here.

When will the GM regulations be notified?

Very shortly. These will be put up for consultations. They are draft regulations.

Will you insist on labelling of GM food?

That is the proposal. But the draft regulations will have to be first approved by the government.

Why have labelling at all? It is not mandatory In the United States and Canada, for instance.

Different countries have taken different views. The scientific committee and the authority (FSSAI) have taken a view that it must be labelled. Other than the US, several countries have mandatory labelling requirements. Even in the US, it is voluntary. (The US Food and Drug Administration doesn’t require mandatory labelling of food derived from bioengineered plants because it says it isn’t aware that it poses a different or greater safety concern than food developed by traditional plant breeding. The geneticist Deepak Pental of Delhi University says labelling is meant to alert consumers to a health concern. GM crops are approved only when they are not toxic or allergic to humans. Labelling would prejudice the consumer against the product.-Vivian)

A regulatory vacuum means the manufacture, import and sale of GM food is not disallowed?

It is not disallowed. The view of the food authority is, based on scientific evidence across the world, that there is no verifiable health impact of GM food vis-à-vis conventional food on humans. Obviously, if certain (GM) food is to be allowed, it has to be approved by GEAC (Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee) and then only it will come to us and we will do the risk assessment, just as we do with conventional food before clearing it for consumption.

What is the need for FSSAI to do separate risk assessment, when bioengineered plants have to pass two levels of biosafety trials before being cleared for cultivation?

That is biosafety for growing the crops. They do it for its impact on the environment. We do it for its impact on human health.

Sir, the Biosafety Research Level-I and Level -II trials are meant to ensure that the crops which GEAC recommends for cultivation are not toxic or allergic to humans and animals. Their safety to the environment is also assessed. Will there be a parallel risk assessment by FSSAl, before GM crops are allowed to be cultivated?

For cultivation, the GEAC gives approval. But if any food contains GMOs (genetically-modified organisms) or LMOs (living modified organisms), then their (GEAC) approval will have to be obtained first and then they will have to come to us.

Sir, 96 percent of the cotton grown in India is genetically-modified Bt cotton. Most of our cottonseed oil comes from Bt cottonseed. We have been eating it since 2002 or 2003. In all these years, why did we not test the oil for GM material?

As I said, the FSSAI Act is of 2006. It became operational in 2011. Till 2016, we could not act (for the reasons mentioned earlier). We have now put some regulations. Our current understanding based on scientific evidence is there is no verifiable health risk from GM food. So I don’t think there will be much challenge in terms of it getting approved by FSSAI once it is approved for cultivation in India or abroad. But they have to follow a process because our act requires it. As for labelling, FSSAI wants to make it mandatory, but that depends on whether the government agrees. That also has to go through a consultation process and based on the feedback a final view will be taken.

At what level of GM material will labelling be triggered?

In our labelling regulations, it was 5%, but we have received many representations. We may review it. We will send it to the government within a week or two. (According to a FSSAI press release, Japan, Canada, Thailand and Indonesia allow GMO content up to 5 per cent without labelling. The European Union’s limit is 0.9 per cent. Lower the threshold, higher is the cost demonstrating or verifying compliance – Vivian).

What do you think of the study by the Centre for Science and Environment? Are you convinced about the methodology they have adopted?

CSE’s study is useful. At least some data is available. There are some concerns about the methodology, but something is better than nothing.

DINAKARAN NEWS

DINAMANI NEWS

Organic products demand edging up

‘We want consumers to know what they are eating’

FSSAI’s The Eat Right Movement seeks to push manufacturers and consumers towards healthier choices

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) recently started The Eat Right Movement, a nationwide campaign to improve public health and push the food industry to produce healthier choices. Thirty companies, including 18 packaged food companies, have signed various associations with the regulator to bring down salt, sugar and trans fat content in their products. Pawan Agarwal, CEO, FSSAI explains the motivation behind the campaign, and the road ahead.

How did the campaign start?

Last November, we came across a report on disease burden in India, which compared statistics between 1990 and 2016. The incidence of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) was extremely high and had been rising steadily over the years. The reason we figured was our unhealthy eating habits. The report got us thinking about measures we can take as regulators. The initiative requires a multi-sectoral approach, and we are trying to make interventions at all levels: regulation, supply and demand.

Can Indians give up on packaged food and beverages?

It’s not easy. It may not happen in a day or a month or even a year, but we have to begin the conversations. As the country’s food authority, we have taken the initiative of talking to all stakeholders and see if we can start the change gradually.

Food companies in Western countries have been told to reduce salt and sugar content. Is it viable?

What we have started in India is similar to initiatives taken in the UK and some Western European countries. However, they have also developed robust monitoring systems to pull up those not adhering to the norms. In the future, we hope to cover the monitoring aspect as well.

Have targets and deadlines been set for reduced salt and sugar content?

We don’t even have a clear picture of the current levels of consumption, so setting targets will be difficult. What we are aiming at is to get food businesses to move in this direction. We are coming up with new labelling regulations and setting a threshold for salt, sugar and trans fat content, beyond which the product can be termed as unhealthy. We want consumers to know what they are eating. There are concerns from the industry on such norms, but we are in the process of fine-tuning them.

How many companies have shown willingness?

Thirty companies have signed various associations with us, including 18 packaged food companies, close to 10 e-commerce players and retailers and some restaurant and hotel associations. ITC, Kellogg’s, Mapro, Marico, Patanjali, Haldiram’s, MTR, Bikanerwala, Britannia, DelMonte, Nestle, Hindustan Unilever Limited are some of the companies who have signed on. The Indian Bakers Federation, Wheat Products Promotion Society, Federation of Biscuit Manufacturers of India, Indian Vanaspati Producers Association are among the bodies that have committed to bring about change.

What are these commitments?

Some have signed general commitments in groups, while some have signed individual ones to reduce the salt, sugar and trans fat content. The commitment documents include pledges like encouraging the use of right choice of fat or oil, reformulating products to reduce fat, sugar and sodium, reducing trans fat content in all foods to less than 0.2% by 2022 in a phased manner.

How will you ensure success?

The success of this initiative depends on consumer demand. Consumers have to consciously and actively move towards a healthy lifestyle, and their demands will automatically push companies to create new, healthy products.

Temples to have food safety registration

‘Prasadams’ or offerings should conform to hygienic standards

Food items (‘prasadams’ or offerings) sold at temples to devotees should conform to the safety and hygienic standards of food safety, the Commissioner of Food Safety has said.

From September 1, temples should follow all regulations under the Food Safety and Standards Act of India 2006 as well as the Food Safety (Licensing and Registration) Rules.

All temples will thus have to secure a licence or registration under the said rules in order to sell ‘prasadam’ through temple counters, the Commissioner said in an official release here.

The authorities concerned should ensure that the storerooms and areas on the premises of temples where the food is cooked should maintain the hygiene standards under Food Safety and Standards Act .

It should also be ensured that the water used for cooking food and served as drinking water is safe. The water should be tested periodically and the certificate on water safety kept for perusal, the Commissioner said.

The safety and hygiene standards should be strictly maintained when in comes to mass feeding and any other food and drinks distributed inside the temple so that there is no possibility of food poisoning episodes.

He said the food safety regulations followed by the two of the biggest temples in the State, Sabarimala temple and Attukal Devi temple and the food safety regulations, licence and registration processes followed in connection with the temple festivals at these temples can be a model for all other temples in the State.

Ban on silver foil use to garnish sweets from Nov

Madurai: The use of silver foil to garnish sweets will be a thing of the past as the food safety officials are planning to enforce a ban on its usage from November this year. As the sweet preparation is expected to begin soon to meet the demand for the Diwali festival, which falls on November 6, it is imperative on part of the bakers to stay away from using silver foil, which is manufactured using animal parts.

Food Safety and Standards (food products standards and food additives) Fifth Amendment regulations 2016, brought in new regulations on the use of silver foils to address various issues prevailing in its production. 

It was widely manufactured by hammering silver placed between sheets of intestine of animals such as cow and buffalo for hours together to get the required thinness.

There were also complaints of adulteration by using aluminium, a heavy metal which can cause health problems, instead of silver. The regulation has addressed it by mandating the weight of silver foil up to 2.8 gram per square metre. Aluminium cannot be beaten as thin as silver.

An official from the department said it may still contain the pieces of the animal, which can cause heath problem. Moreover, it cannot still be called as a vegetarian food. Although advanced methods to prepare the foil using machinery can be done, it is hard to distinguish between the two, he said.

Some of the bakers in the city have given up the usage of silver foils voluntarily. They say that they have done it to maintain the standard and to give the best to the consumers. “We have stopped using silver foils a few years back voluntarily since its production involves animal intestine. We could not able to differentiate the ones produced safely,” said M Jayakumar of Jayaram Bakery said.

The regulation could not be implemented since the Delhi high court had stayed the proceeding, considering the large workforce involved in the job.

Adulterated ghee worth Rs 7.24L seized

Rajkot: The special operations group (SOG) of Rajkot police seized a large cache of adulterated ghee worth Rs 7.24 lakh from a factory behind Ruda Transport Nagar near Sokhada village on Saturday.

“SOG head constables — Manrupgiri Goswami, Jitubha Jhala, Mehul Madhvi and Vijendrasinh Jhala — received a tip-off during patrolling about the adulterated ghee stored at Dhara Fate and Proteins Veg Fat Palmolein and Veg Oil Factory in Jai Jalaram Industrial Estate. Acting on this information, we conducted the raid,” said Rajkot SOG inspector S N Gaddu. 

Police recovered 422 containers of adulterated ghee, worth Rs 6.64 lakh, 150 barrels of adulterated ghee worth Rs 60,000 and raw material to be used for adulteration.

“Food and drugs safety officers — D J Solanki and A B Patel — collected the samples of adulterated ghee for examination. Once the examination report is submitted, we will file the chargesheet and book the accused,” said an SOG official.

Stemming dangers of carbide-ripened fruits

FORCED ripening of fruits meant for human consumption, using dangerous chemical substances, is fast becoming a culture in this part of the world, despite its hazardous implications for health. Experts and institutions have always warned against the practice, with the most recent of such warnings coming from the National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control. The regulatory agency, in a statement by its Director-General, Moji Adeyeye, took a particular interest in the ingestion of fruits in which calcium carbide has been used to quicken the ripening process.

According to Adeyeye, a professor of Pharmaceutics, Manufacturing Science and Drug Product Evaluation, carbide contains impurities such as arsenic, lead particle and phosphorous. “Consumption of fruits containing these impurities may cause cancer, heart, kidney and liver failure,” she explained. Irritation of the mouth, nose, eye and skin, permanent skin damage, vomiting, difficulty in swallowing, sore throat, shortness of breath and numbness are some of the other health hazards associated with coming in contact with carbide or ingesting any food item ripened using the chemical.

With the growing interest in meals of fresh fruits and vegetables, it is not surprising that diseases such as cancer and internal organ failure are becoming commonplace in Nigeria. Among many prominent Nigerians that have fallen victim to cancer, for instance, was the former DG of NAFDAC, Dora Akunyili. According to figures made available by the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria, there were over 2 million cases of cancer in the country in 2016, with 100,000 new cases occurring every year. Dapo Campbell, a professor of oncology, said that about 10,000 Nigerians died of cancer yearly, but reports credited to the World Health Organisation put the latest figures at 80,000 cancer deaths per annum.

This is why efforts should not be spared towards ensuring that all foods and drinks taken in the country are properly monitored just as it is done in advanced countries. In Europe, for instance, any food item imported has to meet set standards before the citizens can be allowed to eat it. Little wonder that about 67 food items exported by Nigeria to the European Union countries were banned between 2015 and 2016 for failure to comply with their standards. Conversely, in Nigeria, people eat anything that comes their way, mainly out of ignorance, arising from low levels of awareness.

Ripening is a natural process that takes place in fruits. This process, according to scientists, is aided by ethylene, a hormone released naturally by fruits. It is the process that softens fruits and makes them ready for ingestion. Typically, fruits change colour, texture, taste and, in some cases, emit pleasant aroma when they are ripe. Ripening makes fruits nutritious; and, for the traders, this is a delicate period when as much of the fruits as possible have to be sold or risk them rotting away.

However, not many are ready to wait for the natural ripening process, which is why fruits such as bananas, mangoes and pineapples are sometimes forced to ripen, using artificial or chemical agents such as calcium carbide and ethephon. The motivation is the desire for high turnovers and profits. But due to its hazardous nature, calcium carbide is banned in many countries. In India, for instance, where artificial ripening of fruits is rampant, the chemical has been banned under the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006. The offence is likened to food poisoning and anyone caught in the act risks spending up to 10 years in jail.

In Nigeria, very little seems to be happening by way of monitoring to spare people a sure death by instalments. While it is important to come up with periodic warnings, as NAFDAC usually does, about an existing danger in consuming some poisonous food, helping to raise awareness amongst members of the public, health and regulatory authorities, however, have a greater responsibility to go beyond just raising the alarm to enforcing compliance with extant laws concerning the quality and standards of ingestible items in the country. Experience has shown that people who benefit from unlawful acts will not readily give it up, unless forced to do so. In this case, the urge for profits is so irresistible that it invariably trumps concerns for human health.

By now, NAFDAC ought to have developed the capacity to monitor fruit sellers, especially those who bulk-buy with intent to resell. Forced ripening of fruits is common in the cities where fruits are hardly planted but are in high demand. NAFDAC should ensure that the habit is discontinued, especially by those who may not even know that what they are doing constitutes a health hazard. It may not be possible to arrest everybody involved but when a few are picked up and prosecuted, it will serve as a deterrent to others.

It is important to help members of the public to identify fruits that have been forced to ripen. Such fruits, it is said, are more attractive and are identified by their uniformity in colour. Fruits ripened by calcium are soft and have very short storage lifespan. They are less tasty compared to those that ripen naturally.

In a place like Dubai, for example, which imports large quantities of fruits, there is a newly-acquired device for the testing of fruits and vegetables to detect the level of insecticides and chemicals to ensure their fitness for human consumption. According to the Dubai Central Lab, the device has the capacity to test 600 samples of fruits a day. “Our current system takes up to 260 kinds. The new device, operated by the latest technology, will offer different kinds of inspection,” said a report quoting Ahmed Amin, the Director of DCL. This is one of the areas that NADFAC should be exploring.

FSSAI To Use Triple E Strategy For Engaging With Educational Institutions

Food Security and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), India’s apex food regulator, has agreed to use the Triple E strategy for effective engagement with higher educational institutions (HEIs) regarding food safety and applied nutrition. The adoption of this strategy was decided upon during a discussion with the vice-chancellors of various private universities, academicians, the industry and industry associations. This comprehensive engagement framework that uses the three ‘E’s – Engage, Excite, Enable, was another important initiative to contextualize and update the food safety ecosystem in India and to facilitate upcoming food professionals of the future.

A MORE HOLISTIC CONCEPT

The discussion was attended by the joint secretary, ministry of human resource development (MHRD); the president and secretary general, ministry of food processing industries (MoFPI); the deputy director general, Association of Indian Universities (AIU), and representatives from the University Grants Commission (UGC), the National Institute of Food Technology and Entrepreneurship Management (NIFTEM); the Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology (IIFPT); the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Association of Analytical Communities (AOAC) India.

Ensuring that employable skills are delivered by HEIs was the highlight of the discussion. A more holistic concept of ensuring safe and wholesome food instead of just preventing adulteration and the measures to co-develop and implement an updated curriculum that reflects this shift in thinking were also discussed.

THE NEW CURRICULUM

Practical learning through internships and fellowships, promoting interactive learning through opportunities for students to participate in socially-relevant, advocating merit scholarships for deserving students, along with a programme for faculty training and development were parts of the framework that was decided upon according to the publication.

FSSAI will reportedly explore opportunities for collaboration with MHRD and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for the further distribution of information. The regulator believes that it will be able to create a future-ready skilled workforce for the future food industry in India with this initiative.