Nestle is at fault. But so are those – pliant consumers included – allowing companies like it to get away with double standards. This ‘third world’ mentality of letting substandard goods be ‘ok for us’ even as it won’t pass muster ‘with them’, needs to end, especially when our bodies and health are concerned. There is no place any longer for such health and hygiene subjectivism. Food regulators like Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) were aware of the WHO advisory, but looked the other way. In India, the added sugars content is information printed on labels. But FSSAI needs to step up and ensure that the food we consume is healthy, safe, and is indeed what it is sold as.
FSSAI must ensure that food and drink standards are constantly evaluated and updated based on scientific assessment and global health advice. Once incorporated, these standards must be enforced. The exponential growth of the F&B market requires a regulator that is fit for purpose, keeping an ever-watchful eye over the food baskets of an increasingly alert consumer class that cares what it – and its children – ingest.
