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If you have been following the news, you would remember that many countries called out Indian spice mixtures for adulteration. As the tables have turned, India rejected food consignments from Sri Lanka, Japan, China, Turkey, and Bangladesh owing to food safety concerns.
The Food Safety Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) and Food Import Rejection Alert (FIRA) carefully scrutinised the shipments and found that they fell short of the standards set by these authoritative bodies. Not only that, the regulatory bodies issued a list in public listing the names of countries, food items, and reasons for rejecting consignments.
With a population of 1.42 billion, India imports food items from more than 100 countries. Amid the ongoing food safety issues in the country, the authorities have grown more vigilant about the quality of edibles that reach the end consumers. The non-compliance issues in the consignments from the mentioned countries led to the rejection.
China
China sent a consignment of Sushi Nori, a dried and edible seaweed mostly used in Japanese cuisine. It arrived in Delhi in May 2024 with a large amount of arsenic in it. In the same month, a shipment of Budweiser (non-alcoholic beer) arrived in Mumbai but was rejected due to a lower pH value than the prescribed one.
Japan
In June, India rejected three tea consignments from Japan. They fell under the ‘Health Supplements Nutraceuticals’ category and were not approved by the authorities. Hence, they were sent back from Bengaluru. They contain ‘Rooibos,’ which is not a permissible botanical ingredient under the FSS Act, 2006.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh sent a consignment of betel nuts or areca nuts to Tuticorin in February 2024. The nuts were damaged by insects and mould. The shipment had more moisture than the permissible amount, so the authorities had to reject it.
Sri Lanka
On May 24, 2024, the FSSAI rejected a consignment of dry cinnamon flower buds from Sri Lanka as it did not have permission as per the FSS Act, 2006. In April 2024, the areca nut shipment was cancelled as the authorities could see moulds on the surface. The nuts were also infested by insects, cracked, blemished, and de-husked.
Turkey
In July 2024, India rejected a consignment from Turkey comprising red apples. They were shipped to Kolkata, and they were found to be near the expiry date. They had crossed 60% of their shelf life and were less than three months from their expiry date. According to FSSAI, every product goes through a three-tier verification system (visual inspection, documentation, and testing of samples) after which it gets the clearance certificate.
