In a pickle: Why it’s time for Fssai to wake up and crack the whip

livemint.com:

Mint. The agency did not respond to Mint’s query on if any products were recalled or if licenses were cancelled in the past five years, for not complying with food laws. It also did not disclose any names of errant food makers.

Back in 2015, Fssai had asked Nestle to recall its popular instant noodles Maggi for containing excessive lead and monosodium glutamate (a flavour enhancer), which seems to be the only known case of product recall. Nestle India filed a legal petition with the Bombay High Court, seeking a judicial review of the recall order. The court overturned the government’s ban on Maggi citing that move was “arbitrary" and said that Nestlé India can bring the product back to the market following fresh tests.

Subsequent test results showed that Maggi was safe for consumption. In October 2015, four months after the recall order, Nestle announced plans to resume the sale of Maggi. A senior official from Fssai who did not want to be named said testing has increased over the years.

But why is the agency not alerting consumers about manufacturers selling ‘unsafe’ food? “You mean name-and-shame them? That is a good suggestion," the official said, as an afterthought. Fssai has come under fire recently for being lax on more than one count. Last month, a global report by a Swiss watchdog reported that Nestle, a multinational brand, adds excess sugar in infant milk and cereal products sold in low- and middle-income countries, including India, but not in rich nations.