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With new law, FSSAI steps up fight against counterfeit
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Tuesday, 10 January, 2012, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Amita Venkatesh
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Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) with its August 5-implemented Food Safety and Standards (Packaging & Labelling) Regulation, 2011, has taken yet another step towards fighting the war against counterfeits and educating the consumer about buying the right product through various means, one of which is awareness about packaging and labelling.
The recent changes made to the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006, are very specific to the section describing the packaging and labelling. The copy of the official gazette was made available to public on Oct 21, 2010, and these regulations came in to effect from August 5, 2011. The packaging and labelling industry has adapted quickly to the Act and is continually progressing to meet the standards in each and every part of the Act.
The FSSA details the packaging and labelling requirements in the Act. This should simplify the labels that a consumer reads on the packaged products. The FSSA has listed the general and product-specific requirements for packaging and labelling.
E.g., the general requirement for packaging canned products, clearly mentions containers to be securely packed & sealed, free from dents, rust, perforation and seam distortions. And the generic labelling requirements are more detailed as the label helps in distinguishing between the original & fake product before testing the product. And as a consumer, “what you see is what you buy.” The general requirements of labelling lists the following:
1. Every prepackaged food shall carry a label containing information as required here under unless otherwise provided, namely,—
2. The particulars of declaration required under these Regulations to be specified on the label shall be in English or Hindi in Devnagri script: Provided that nothing herein contained shall prevent the use of any other language in addition to the language required under this regulation.
3. Pre-packaged food shall not be described or presented on any label or in any labelling manner that is false, misleading or deceptive or is likely to create an erroneous impression regarding its character in any respect;
4. Label in pre-packaged foods shall be applied in such a manner that they will not become separated from the container;
5. Contents on the label shall be clear, prominent, indelible and readily legible by the consumer under normal conditions of purchase and use;
6. Where the container is covered by a wrapper, the wrapper shall carry the necessary information or the label on the container shall be readily legible through the outer wrapper and not obscured by it;
This implies that robust labelling guidelines are to be followed by companies and vendors producing or involved in labelling, its time to “up the game.”
These guidelines shall help in reducing the fake products in the market and increased consumer awareness. Companies are also taking measures and technology has come to their aid. The fake products when consumed by masses, the effects are manifold. At best, a counterfeit product has no nutritional value, at worst, the consumers can get sick and in worse situations die from it.
According to the WHO definition, a product is counterfeit
“When there is a false representation in relation to its identity (e.g. any misleading statement with respect to name, composition, strength, or other elements), its history or source (e.g. any misleading statement with respect to manufacturer, country of manufacturing, country of origin, marketing authorisation holder).”
This applies to the product, its container or other packaging or labelling information. Counterfeiting can apply to both branded and generic products. Therefore, counterfeit products may include:
● Products with the correct active ingredient(s), in the incorrect proportions;
● products with the correct active ingredient(s),
● products without active ingredient(s);
● products with impurities or toxic ingredients.
Packaging is most susceptible to counterfeit as spurious products are mostly seen in look-alike packs. But at the same time, packaging can play a very vital role in combating counterfeit also. Now with advancements in anti-counterfeit, there are many overt and covert packaging solutions available which can be used standalone or in combinations to make duplication difficult as well as expensive. Holograms, 2D barcodes, RFID’s labels and tags, tracing and tracking systems are some of the solutions which are being already used worldwide.
Some of the recent developments are “Izon” by Dupont
Nanotech Security Corp’s new anti-counterfeiting product which can replace holograms, Nanotech’s team has created the world’s first master shim or master die that manufacturers can use to reproduce nano holes in a variety of material. The fundamental behind the technology is replicating nano–scale structures similar to those found on the wings of iridescent morpho butterfly. The shim is fully customised using a technique called QuickShift, and Nanotech can control and specify what colours are created when the angle of view is changed. This technology is believed to be cost-effective in large volumes and can be easily integrated with existing manufacturing process.
Quick Response (QR) codes are also being tested. These printed squares are an advanced version of the 2D barcodes. Anyone with a camera-enabled phone and web access can scan the code and be taken instantly to the pharma company website to authenticate the drug.
Leveraging the extensive mobile usage in the country and cloud computing. Computer companies see a huge business potential in offering technology solutions to the whole industry. Hewlett-Packard is one of the companies offering a solution, a cloud-based platform called Global Authentication Service. Companies can buy two-dimensional bar codes which will be printed on the packaging material. The companies can then use the cloud service to monitor the movement of products through their global supply chains.
There is no simple or quick solution or remedy that can be applied to eliminate counterfeit medicines, nor can the problem be solved by any individual company or government.
Thieves and counterfeiters detach labels from empty original containers and use them again for faked products. This exposes manufacturers and consumers to high safety risks. Hence the general requirement 4 (mentioned above) requires the label to be applied in such a manner that it cannot be separated from the container.
As per the Food Safety and Drug Administration website there are number of tests that an individual consumer can perform at home to check the authenticity of the product. E.g., To test if milk has been adulterated with starch, one can simply add a few drops of tincture of iodine or iodine solution. If formation is of blue colour, then it indicates the presence of starch and iodine solution is easily available in the medical stores.
For testing of adulterated ghee with vanaspati or margarine one should take about one tea spoon full of melted sample of ghee with equal quantity of concentrated hydrochloric acid in a stoppered test tube and add to it a pinch of sugar. Shake for one minute and let it for five minutes. Appearance of crimson colour in lower (acid) of vanaspati or margarine. The test is Specific for sesame oil which is compulsorily added to vanaspati and margarine. Some coal tar colours also give a positive test. If the test is positi
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