Amid concerns over Indian species being rejected abroad due to excessive levels of residual pesticides, India itself has adopted strict regulations on food imports. In the last two financial years, India has rejected about 1,500 consignments of imported food products for failing to meet its stringent quality and safety standards, the newspaper reported. mint citing officials.
The rejected shipments came from a variety of countries and trading blocs, including developed economies known for their strict food regulatory regimes, an official said. mintAt the same time, several Indian food products have recently been rejected by other countries.
Singapore and Hong Kong recently banned Indian spices due to high levels of ethylene oxide (a carcinogenic pesticide) above permissible limits. In response, India’s top food regulator launched a thorough investigation and testing of all spice brands in the country.
FSSAI rejects 1,550 imported food products in two years
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the top food regulator in India, rejected around 1,000 imported items during FY22-23, including cheese, almonds, milk and milk products, whisky, dates, apples, coffee, seafood and chocolate. Another 550 items were rejected during FY23-24 for non-compliance with Indian safety standards.
While the specific details of the rejected food products and their origins have not yet been independently verified, officials stressed the importance of taking additional steps. “The Commerce Department has compiled a list of countries and food products rejected for safety reasons to guide next steps,” a second official said. Mint.
India imports food products from over 100 countries, regulated under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which ensures uniform standards for domestic and imported products. The commerce ministry has acknowledged frequent lapses in mandatory testing of incoming consignments, stressing the central role of FSSAI in regulating imports, market surveillance and subsequent action.
FSSAI Three-Tier Import Verification Process
FSSAI uses a rigorous three-tier verification process (document review, visual inspection and sampling/testing) for imported food products. Authorized officers stationed at entry points oversee these procedures, ensuring compliance with Indian standards. Non-compliant samples result in Non-Compliance Reports (NCRs), barring entry into the Indian market until compliance is verified.
Moreover, FSSAI’s Risk Management System (RMS), integrated with Customs’ SWIFT interface, assesses various risk factors before granting import clearance. Challenges such as differences in international standards, limited testing facilities at ports and evolving testing protocols necessitate strategic limitations at points of entry for effective food safety management.
Pawan Agarwal, CEO of Food Future Foundation and a former food regulator, highlighted current challenges including traceability and management of high-risk imports like perishable foods that are likely to be contaminated.
Ensuring the safety of imported foods
All food imported into India has to meet Indian standards, Agarwal said, adding that sometimes the food standards of the exporting country may not match our standards. So there was a mismatch in standards. “Food passes through more than 100 ports of entry and all ports have to ensure the safety of imported food. So food samples are taken for testing. However, testing facilities are not available at all ports and the samples are sent to the accredited laboratory. Hence, we have restricted the import of food items to a certain number of ports so that food testing can be done more efficiently. Another challenge was that the testing protocol was not robust enough,” Agarwal said.
He also mentioned that traceability is another crucial issue to ensure that only safe food is imported into India.
The food regulator is also keeping a close watch on international food alerts. “We mainly import apples, pulses, edible oil, high-risk foods, fresh foods like seafood, meat, etc., which tend to spoil due to microbial contamination and poor temperature control,” Aggarwal said.
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