Import and Export of Food: How to ensure safety?

Food is a very crucial item which demands high quality always. There is no question of compromise in food quality because it is this food which people take in to keep them healthy and fit. Any kind of negligence in food quality can degrade the health of people to a great extent. Exporting food is also a great responsibility as it needs to satisfy all the tests and food examinations so as to be classified as a good quality food. If the food qualifies for the test, it is then that it gets exported to other countries.

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However due to negligence and lack of attention the administration, they sometimes export degraded quality food which can bring a bad name to the country. The degraded export of food will not only bring a bad name for the country, but also it will affect the lives of a huge population very badly. Therefore care must be taken to its highest degree so as to avoid any kind of such mistakes because the results can be hazardous then. After all life is very precious for all of us and we cannot take any kind of risk either with our lives or with others life.

Certain guidelines must be provided to the workers and they must be highly qualified so as to distinguish between a good and a bad quality food. Lack of knowledge and skilled workers can pose a threat to the food checking procedures. Also the infrastructural facilities must be provided which are of latest designs that can help detect degraded quality foods.

As we know that food processing is one of the largest industries in India therefore care must be taken that it does not degrade down due to the negligence of just a few people. It is ranked 5th in terms of production, consumption, distribution and exports. India has enormous growth potential and is the world’s second largest food producer. An integrated law must be brought in to regulate the food processing within the country. The prime motive should be to supply the best quality food and the consumers must be safe while consuming those food items.

Few countries prohibit the entry of food sent from India as those developed countries have very stringent food safety regulations prevailing there. They tend to restrict the exports of India to their country. Each country has its own law for regulating the food processing industries. India has made a huge jump in terms of food processing industries over the past few decades and therefore has been successful in holding a good position in food processing among all other countries in the world. There are various key issues like lack of coordination, negligence, lack of skilled labors, devoid of latest infrastructure, absence of proper monitoring system,  lack of safety awareness and quality control, which need to be paid heed so as to develop the food processing industry of India and take it to a much higher level.


Article by Anisha Dutta
She is a content evangelist who believes that the Science of today is the Technology of tomorrow. 
She can be reached at https://twitter.com/Anisha_Dutta29