It is strange that a government notification on certain food
items entering into the state from Myanmar being banned from being sold
has not been publicized enough. It’s been some time since there have
been stringent moves to contain manufacturers and sellers from
withholding information about the quantity, quality of ingredients
including their nutrient value in the country since consumers have every
right to be informed of what they are consuming. The strict watch over
the information of food products is such in the country that even
advertisements that are seen as misleading consumers into believing that
certain food items are healthier or tastier have had action taken
against advertisement agencies while the advertisements are themselves
pulled off from air or print. The movement to regulate food ingredients
and their nutritive values has come after a long process and efforts put
in by health experts and advocates and other civil society group
members who have been concerned over how the larger public are
‘co-erced’ by beautiful packaging, glossy advertisements and certain
projections that may not be entirely true.
As mentioned in an IFP report, Section 23 of the Food Safety and
standards Act, 2006 stipulates that no person can manufacture,
distribute, sell or expose for sale or dispatch or deliver to any agent
or broker for the purpose of sale, any packaged food products which are
not marked and labeled in the manner as may be specified by regulations.
Regulation No. 22 lays down norms for labelling of food products and
packages: the label would have to include detailed information, the name
of food including the trade name or description of food contained in
the package and the list of ingredients, names of ingredients used in
the product in descending order of their composition by weight or
volume, as the case may be, at the time of manufacture etc. Section 25
of the food safety and standards Act, 2006, is binding on people who
sell or facilitate the sale of food items. Under this, no person can
import into India any unsafe or misbranded or sub-standard food or food
containing extraneous matter, any article of food for the import of
which a license is required under any Act or Rules or regulations,
except in accordance with the conditions of the license. In the light of
these rules and stipulations, the ban on food products from Myanmar was
in fact over due. It is common knowledge that food items being brought
in from Myanmar ranging from the popular sunflower seeds to a host of
bakery and milk products and preserved food matter including fruit
pickles and tined fish do not mention anything about what ingredients
are used, what preservatives are put in much less include information
about the time frame in which the product needs to be consumed. Now that
the Government has woken up to take a stand against not allowing such
products to be available to the public, it ought to have ensured too
that the public are sensitized and made aware of why it is necessary for
such items to have its constituent information in display. It ought to
have first of all, informed the public about the ban and why it is being
put into place. Till the time, the public is convinced about the ban
and the harmful effects of what unknown food ingredient constituents can
do to one’s physiology and health, there will be no real meaning of the
ban.
The next logical step would also be to ensure that there are strict
measures to put the ban into effect. But more than anything, it could
help if the authorities reach out to its neighbour to ensure that their
food products display all information and details are required. If
Myanmar were to follow suit and display product information, all that
the authorities would have to do this side of the border would be to
take up quality checks from time to time to assess the truth of the
information being given. On the other hand, if an official notification
is all that the Government is interested in, there would be no real term
change in the nature of consumption. Rather, it would be much like just
another ban that will lead to more value being added to the products
and creating more demand, given the intrinsic nature of our society to
hanker for what is not allowed.
