|
|
|
You can get e-magazine links on WhatsApp. Click here
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food testing in India - Emerging scenario
|
|
Thursday, 30 June, 2022, 12 : 00 PM [IST]
|
|
Dr RajaSekhar Reddy Alavala
|
Food is an essential aspect of daily living since it gives us the nutrients and nourishment for healthy lives. The food we eat should be completely safe and not pose any risks to our health. Since food industry operators are primarily responsible for this, it is crucial that the food production, from "farm to plate," undergo strict monitoring and testing. In this entire process, food testing laboratories are crucial. From processed foods to agricultural items, from the farm to the store, food products can be examined. Testing can be carried out on raw materials, products as they are being processed and produced, as well as finished goods.
Act on Food Standards and Safety:
On August 23, 2006, the President of India approved the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (FSSA), an Act of Parliament passed in the 57th year of the Republic of India. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) was created by the Act, which also consolidated the laws governing food.
The FSSAI establishes standards for food products, controls their production, storage, distribution, sale, and import, maintains the availability of healthy and safe food for human consumption, and handles related issues. When food testing labs need to analyse food samples, the FSSAI notifies research facilities accredited by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), and accredited food laboratories.
To perform the duties assigned to the referral food laboratory, the FSSAI establishes or recognises one or more food laboratories. The food testing labs, which are appointed by the commissioner of food safety, must analyse the food samples and provide the report within 14 days of receiving any sample; if they fail to do so, they must provide justification for the delay.
Thirteen food product groups, such as dairy products, oils and fats, fruits and vegetables, cereals and cereal products, meat and meat products, fish, and fish products, etc., are divided into 377 standardised food products. The non-standardized food products, such as exclusive and new foods, nutraceuticals, health supplements, etc., are among the others. For proprietary and novel foods, Product Approval is necessary in accordance with FSSA regulations.
From "start to finish," food testing labs play a critical role in the entire Product Approval process. They produce all the necessary food analysis and safety data (from clinical trials) for the application process. Further, Section 22 of the FSSA states that information on ingredients and other factors shall be included in food analysis data. Other criteria include shelf-life study information and label claims (such as those found in energy drinks and functional foods like nutritional and health supplements).
Importantly, because functional foods are frequently imported, it is necessary to get FSSAI Product Approval before submitting an application for a license. This is done by following the regulations in accordance with the FSS Act, Rules, and Regulations. As a result, food testing labs play a crucial part in this situation as well.
According to the most recent list as of July 16, 2014, there are currently 68 NABL-accredited, FSSAI-notified food testing labs in India. These are dispersed throughout all of India in four different geographic areas. 21 food testing laboratories are located throughout the northern region. There are 22 labs each in the southern and western zones. Only three testing labs exist in the eastern region, all of which are located in Kolkata. The absence of food testing labs in any of the other eastern states suggests a severe lack of infrastructure in this area.
One of the critical elements in ensuring food safety is laboratory testing. There are primarily four types of testing for any food product. Depending upon the requirement and case to case, a food product could undergo either or all of these tests, viz, Chemical testing, biological testing, Mechanical testing, and Pesticide/Residue testing. Among these, the most common is chemical testing. Chemical residues are the remaining parts of substances used during a particular process, say crop production or pest control.
Background of Food Testing
Food business operators (FBOs) and hotels, restaurants, and caterers are mandatorily required to get their products tested for quality and safety at food testing labs. In addition, these labs also serve as research and development centers for FBOs and government agencies. Such labs, in turn, are accredited by NABL, which has been established with the objective of providing Government, Industry Associations and Industry in general with a scheme of Conformity Assessment Body’s accreditation which involves third-party assessment of the technical competence of testing including medical and calibration laboratories, proficiency testing providers and reference material producers.
Food labs could be classified in below five categories, such as Private Lab – FSSAI notified, FBO with Food Testing Labs, State Labs, Non-FSSAI Labs, Institutional Labs, and Referral labs. Private labs are accessible to industry players for food testing and R&D requirements, unlike FBO labs which are mostly operated as captive units. State labs are found to be the most underdeveloped among all other types of labs primarily due to government interference in setting up and operation of labs. So how many of the food and related items actually go under the scanner in the laboratory before it reaches the final consumer? There are a few very surprising observations in this regard.
Current Food Testing Scenario:
For easier understanding, we will take into consideration only NABL accredited food testing labs that work for over 6.33 lakh FBOs + HoRECA. Total lab testing capacity stands at 49.5 lakh units per year versus the required capacity of 1.28 crore units, assuming 10 food products per FBO with each product being tested twice every year. That’s quite a shortfall, isn’t it? Counter-intuitively, in spite of the shortage of labs primary research found that most of these labs are actually operated below capacity because of fewer products being tested and lower compliance levels. Compliance level refers to the % of FBOs and HoReCa that adhere to testing requirements.
Requirement of Food Testing Laboratories:
In order to accurately estimate additional food labs required, the compliance level is critical. Even at 50% compliance, there is considerable need for new labs. As the compliance level (CL) and testing improve (which most of us would prefer), we effectively need more new labs than existing labs.
Following interesting trends can be observed –
• East India has an extremely low number of labs, requiring nearly fourfold new labs compared to existing.
• North India requires the highest number of labs (above double of existing capacity) due to the high number of FBOs & HoRECA in the region.
• West India has considerable scope for expansion despite high FBOs & HoRECA and a good number of labs.
• South India is the only region where the required number of labs is less than existing labs but still currently it has less than 60% of required labs.
Current food processing industry in India is still at a nascent stage with processing at less than 10% of overall production. Only 2% of fruits and vegetables, 8% marine, 35% milk, and 6% poultry products are processed. With recent government reforms for the agriculture sector including Ra 35,000 crore funds for the development of micro food processors across the country, the processing industry would definitely see double-digit growth which in turn would put more pressure on current laboratory infrastructure.
Since setting up of labs are capital intensive and also require substantial capital to run smoothly and offer diverse testing capabilities, we see a trend moving towards more advanced and frugal testing methodologies like Image processing and spectral analysis, Artificial intelligence, machine learning, IoT devices are expected to take a big leap in democratising testing capabilities. There are a handful of Indian companies and startups working on these technologies, but the impact has just begun. These easy to deploy and less capital intensive solutions offer a very attractive value proposition.
(The author is assistant professor, SPP School of Pharmacy & Tech. Management, NMIMS Deemed to be University, Mumbai. He can be reached at sekhar7.pharm@gmail.com)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|