From food to medicines to cosmetics, adulteration and unsafe products have become a recurring concern in India. But the bigger question is: why does the system wake up only after the damage is done? Bengaluru’s latest crackdown has now moved beyond hotels, pubs and restaurants to cosmetics, with officials collecting 22 samples of products including lipstick, sunscreen, soap, shampoo and talcum powder for laboratory testing. The wider food safety crackdown has also uncovered serious violations. Between August 7 and 9, FSDAD teams inspected 60 three-star and five-star hotels, seizing 1,049 kg of unsafe or non-compliant food articles and collecting 77 samples for testing.
From expired and mislabelled food to unhygienic kitchens, improperly stored meat and violations involving artificial colours, the findings raise serious questions about how regularly these establishments are monitored. But raids and seizures alone cannot solve the problem. What happens after the cameras leave? What happens after notices are issued? And what happens after the headlines disappear?
The answer has to be regular inspections, transparent laboratory testing, strict penalties, public disclosure of violations and strong action against repeat offenders. Because food, cosmetics and medicines are not areas where enforcement can be seasonal. India doesn't need another crackdown every few months. It needs a system that doesn't need a crackdown to do its job.