IAS Rajit Punhani is the CEO of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the organisation responsible for setting food-safety standards and regulating the country’s food industry.
In this edition of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Punhani explains what the FSSAI mark on a product actually means and why it does not mean that every product has been tested or certified by the regulator.
He addresses concerns surrounding fake paneer, misleading food labels, excessive sugar in packaged drinks and baby food, palm oil, synthetic colours, protein supplements and ultra-processed food.
Timestamps
0:00 – Introduction
1:29 – What FSSAI Logo Means
8:31 – Misleading Food Labels
14:14 – Drinks in Europe vs India
20:57 – Palm Oil Reality
25:27 – Sugar in Baby Food
30:04 – Indian Thali
32:54 – Nutrition Labels
37:05 – ‘Zero Sugar’ Meaning
39:36 – Food Industry Lobbying
42:54 – Fake Paneer and Food Adulteration
50:08 – Quick-Commerce Apps
53:58 – Dark Stores and Cloud Kitchens
58:17 – Street Food and Reused Cooking Oil
1:00:27 – Shortage of Food Safety Officers
1:04:16 – Food Recalls and Unsafe Products
1:08:10 – Protein Supplements
1:10:43 – Ultra-Processed Food
1:14:06 – Synthetic Colours in Food
1:16:53 – How Consumers Can File a Complaint
1:21:10 – Conclusion
