Imported foods face ban for flouting rules

NEW DELHI: Imported food products such as Kraft cheese spread, Hershey���s syrup and Pringles potato chips may soon vanish from Indian supermarkets, kirana stores and high-end malls. The government has decided to crack down on imported food products that flout Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PFA) guidelines, such as declaring vegetarian and non-vegetarian symbols on labels, putting expiry and ���best before��� dates in foreign languages, carrying batch numbers for identification, including importers��� names, and not labelling MRPs through paste-on stickers.

Says a PFA official, ���We are taking action against such importers along with state governments; it is a priority for us.��� The administration of PFA is under the ministry of health and family welfare, but the implementation of the guidelines falls under respective state governments. As per PFA rules, any violation can lead to ���heavy penal provisions, including a jail sentence���, and the entire chain of operators, starting from the importer to the trader and even the shopkeeper, is vulnerable to severe penal charges. There are some imported products that comply with Indian laws, but they are in the minority.

A number of leading domestic food companies want the strict PFA guidelines to be implemented. Said GCMMF chief GM RS Sodhi: ���When we export to other countries, we comply with all guidelines specific to that country, including formulating new packs and labels in local languages. The reverse is not happening.��� Added Indian confectionery manufacturers association VP and Perfetti India legal head Harsh Arora: ���There is a good quantity of confectionery that is not complying with Indian laws.���

Mr Arora said, ���There is a good quantity of confectionery that is not complying with Indian laws and this denies organised players a level playing field. Such importers resort to rampant under-invoicing through which they have access to huge margins.���

Apart from companies that haven���t yet set up an official base in India, the trend is equally rampant among well-known brands. Said the head of a food MNC who did not want to be named: ���What we bring in legally is compliant, but we don���t even know how many of our products are coming into the country through illegal channels that flout local laws. It gives us a bad name and the worst part is we cannot do anything about it. It���s high time the government clamped down on such clandestine importers.���

And, as a Cadbury India spokesperson pointed out: ���Many of the imported chocolates contain non-vegetarian ingredients, which go unnoticed because of the clutter on the labels. Some have the non-veg symbol hidden below the packaging flaps. Often the products contain ingredients that are not in accordance with the laws prevailing in India. Also, many are smuggled and, therefore, duties and taxes are evaded.���