Every year, countries register millions of deaths and illness cases because of problems related to the contamination of food. Numerous waterborne and foodborne diseases affect people around the world. The government of every country should be extremely concerned and careful about developing strong strategies related to food safety and its implementation.
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Food safety is not just related to ensuring that food that is being served at restaurants and by Street vendors is free from harmful bacteria and chemicals. It also deals with various spectrums of the food industry, including the preparation, handling, and storage of food. The government has to stimulate proper strategies related to food safety at every step of food production and distribution. Here are the top challenges related to food safety that India is currently facing.
* Inadequate Infrastructure
Most of the food manufacturing units in India currently do not have the adequate infrastructure to carry out the proper manufacturing process. Manufacturing in itself is divided into various segments and requires a lot of capital investment. There has to be a proper, systematic arrangement of machinery and hygiene practices to ensure that food remains free from contamination at every step of manufacturing. The lack of proper infrastructure leads to the culmination of multiple foodborne diseases that cause millions of deaths in India every year.
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* Food Borne Diseases
The food industry in India is highly unregulated. The consumption of food from different shops and street vendors that is often not prepared in a hygienic environment leads to problems such as food poisoning. After consuming such food, people end up facing dire consequences and sometimes acute health problems like diarrhoea. India has an alarmingly high rate of annual deaths registered because of the consumption of contaminated food and water. Any time a person sees a particular vendor preparing food in unhygienic surroundings, it is always suggested to inform the municipality of the city.
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* Absence Of Professionalism
The majority of the people involved in India's food industry lacked any professional training. Due to the absence of any kind of professional training, all these people are unable to ensure the implementation of proper safety measures while preparing food. The absence of public health surveillance and duties towards the consumers leads to the preparation of unhealthy and unhygienic food. Most of the food prepared in restaurants and other eating places is prepared in a way that tastes well. But in reality, low-quality vegetables and ingredients are used to prepare the food. This often leads to stomach sickness and other problems related to digestion in the long run.
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* Lack Of Food Sanitation
There are more than 10 million street vendors in India that are a part of the street food market. The street food industry in India is doing phenomenally well and has thrived massively in recent years. The reason behind street food's popularity is its affordability and tantalising taste. However, most street food vendors in India do not follow any kind of public safety measures. Food is prepared in the presence of flies and insects. No gloves or headcap is worn during the preparation of food. All of this leads to immense contamination of the food. Although there is no problem with eating food from street vendors, one must always check if they're following the minimum safety measures and cooking food in a clean environment.
* Food Adulteration
Adulterated food also poses some serious threats towards food safety in India. Every year, FSSI records an exponential increase in the number of food adulteration cases in India. Numerous food items such as dairy products, spices, beverages and other popular condiments that are used in the preparation of everyday meals are susceptible to being adulterated. The use of harmful preservatives and chemicals to extend the shelf life of food and give it an attractive taste is pretty pervasive in the food industry. On average, about 22% to 28% of the total food manufactured in India is adulterated on an annual basis.
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* Poor Blockchain Management
Most of the food manufacturing companies in India are unable to maintain proper records related to sourcing raw materials and agricultural products for manufacturing a particular food. Lack of systematic record keeping makes it hard for them as well as consumers to trace back the source of each condiment being used for production. So it becomes hard for the manufacturers, consumers, and suppliers to analyse potential risks associated with consumption of a brand and also picking out the culprit ingredient in case a product causes a health blunder in the market.