A ‘monumental’ task

An unprecedented nationwide food safety crackdown in India keeps uncovering serious hygiene and food-storage lapses at hotels, restaurants and other food establishments.
Food safety teams check kitchens, storage areas, drainage and sanitation systems, raw materials, pest control and segregation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. Officials find cockroaches and rodents in kitchens, expired food items, poor storage practices and improper segregation at several places. 
Regulators under Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) are forcing many local eateries and branded restaurants to suspend operations, while a push for front-of-pack warning labels has rattled the country's more than $100 billion packaged food industry. 
India is a top growth market for global consumer giants such as PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Mondelez and Nestle, and also thousands of small domestic sellers of traditional savouries and sweets.
India's Supreme Court questioned on Monday why the government wanted to "waste so much time" on fresh public and industry consultations before adopting warning labels on packaged items, in its latest push for swifter action on food labelling.
"Why do you want to waste so much time when we are concerned about health issues?" Supreme Court Justice JB Pardiwala asked during a hearing. "We expect the authority to accept our order ... do not disappoint us."
His remarks came during a review of the labelling scheme sought by activists voicing concerns that New Delhi has not adopted stricter rules on front-of-pack labels despite years spent deliberating and canvassing public views.
The court said it would soon issue a final order on the matter.
Consumers in India, the world's most populous nation, have long complained about poor hygiene at restaurants and cafes while food adulteration scandals frequently go viral on social media.
Street-food stalls, patronised by millions of Indians, are also often criticised for inadequate hygiene.
Since 2020, food inspectors have tested more than 100,000 samples annually, with roughly one in five found to be unsafe, substandard or lacking proper labels, government data shows. Nearly 8,000 food business licences have been cancelled in the last three years.  "In a country of 1.4 billion people consuming nearly 1.5 trillion meals every year, ensuring food safety is a monumental task," the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said recently.
The FSSAI and some state regulators have intensified checks, releasing regular public updates including photos and videos of raids that have drawn widespread attention online.
In one recent video, FSSAI showed inspectors raiding an unhygienic facility in northern Uttar Pradesh state and seizing 1,300 kg (2,900 pounds) of adulterated cottage cheese, or paneer, which is hugely popular in India among vegetarians.
The regulator has also taken action against some liquor firms including Diageo for improper labeling, as well as energy drink makers like Red Bull over how they promote the products.
Activists and officials have flagged concerns about obesity, especially among children. There were 180 million overweight or obese adults in 2021 in India, with the number projected to rise to 450 million by 2050, a study in the British medical journal the Lancet showed.
India has debated front-of-pack warning labels for years to flag high content of sugar, salt and fat, like those implemented in Chile and Mexico. But the measure has repeatedly stalled amid industry opposition. Pressure has intensified recently from health advocates, social media influencers and a Supreme Court case seeking stronger disclosure requirements.
The regulatory effort on labelling also coincides with a push to ban sales of junk food inside and near schools. A top industry group however says compliance would be difficult as many schools are close to congested markets serving the general public, and will cause "loss of business and livelihood."
The most prominent food safety official currently in India is Tukaram Mundhe, food commissioner of Maharashtra state, whose inspections have targeted outlets operated by Domino's, Pizza Hut and McDonald's as well as upscale clubs and restaurants in and around Mumbai, the state capital.
His surprise raids and licence suspensions have drawn widespread public support, with authorities regularly publishing details of enforcement actions.
One of his most high-profile operations came late last month when his team raided a warehouse where expiry dates and nutritional information were being faked on labels of food products manufactured by PepsiCo PEP.O, Nestle NESN.S, Coca-Cola KO.N and Unilever ULVR.L for exports. Canada has said it is assessing any risk to imports.