NEW DELHI: Food regulator FSSAI plans to launch surveillance on other food items like fortified rice, dairy products and spices sold in the domestic market. The development comes after it started a probe into alleged violation of norms in branded spices and also row over added sugar in Nestle’s Cerelac baby cereals.
As per a PTI report citing sources, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is planning surveillance on food items such as fruit and vegetables, salmonella in fish products; spice and culinary herbs; fortified rice; and milk and milk products.
It is already taking samples of spices in powder form of all brands, including MDH and Everest, from across the country in view of quality concerns flagged by Singapore and Hong Kong. FSSAI does not regulate the quality of exported spices. Hong Kong’s Center for Food Safety (CFS) had last month asked consumers not to buy and traders not to sell MDH’s Madras Curry Powder (spice blend for Madras curry), Everest Fish Curry Masala, MDH Sambhar Masala Mixed Masala Powder, and MDH Curry Powder Mixed Masala Powder.
The CFS had said samples of several kinds of pre-packaged spice-mix products of two Indian brands were found to contain a pesticide ethylene oxide.
Singapore Food Agency also directed a recall of such spices. After Hong Kong’s directive, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) ordered a recall of imported ‘Everest Fish Curry Masala’ from India. Last week, FSSAI said it was in the process of collecting pan-India samples of Nestle’s Cerelac baby cereals, amid a global report claiming the company was adding higher sugar content to the product. As per sources, FSSAI carries out pan-India surveillance on various food products to assess the compliance status of implemented regulations.
