India must tighten food safety regime before India-EU FTA takes effect, says GTRI

With the India-European Union free trade agreement (FTA) expected to come into force next year, India needs to overhaul its food safety framework while ensuring overseas regulations are not used to unfairly restrict its exports, economic think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said in a report released on Tuesday.

The report warned that unless India strengthens its food safety and import inspection systems, it could end up giving European food products greater access to its market while Indian agricultural exports continue to face frequent rejections at EU borders over regulatory compliance.

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India and the 27-member European Union concluded negotiations for the FTA in January. The agreement is expected to be signed by the end of this year and implemented in 2027.

"With the India-EU FTA nearing implementation, India cannot afford to remain weak on both fronts. It must strengthen its own food-safety system while ensuring that foreign regulations are not used as disguised restrictions on Indian exports," the report, prepared by GTRI Founder Ajay Srivastava and Shantwna Dixit from the Centre for Environment and Agriculture, said.

The think tank called for a modern, science-based and reciprocal food safety framework that safeguards consumers, supports farmers and enhances India's long-term agricultural export competitiveness.

According to the report, India should establish a world-class food safety ecosystem by introducing farm-to-port traceability, issuing stronger guidance on pesticide use, expanding internationally accredited laboratories or building a stronger Indian accreditation system, carrying out routine residue monitoring, and stepping up enforcement by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), customs authorities, and plant and animal quarantine agencies.

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GTRI also urged the government to apply the same level of scrutiny to imported food products that Indian exports face overseas. It recommended risk-based sampling and laboratory testing of imported consignments, with shipments that fail to meet Indian standards being rejected.

To help exporters keep pace with changing international regulations, the report proposed creating a dedicated Food-Safety Monitoring and Response Cell. The body would monitor regulatory developments in export markets, issue early warnings to exporters and provide assistance in meeting evolving compliance requirements.

Highlighting China's approach to food safety enforcement, the report noted that Chinese authorities rejected or returned an average of 740 European Union food consignments every year between 2013 and 2019 due to food safety violations.

China's experience shows that strict import inspections can coexist with strong international trade, Srivastava said, adding that India should adopt a similarly science-based inspection regime.

He also pointed out that the European Union has issued 365 food safety notifications against Indian products, resulting in border rejections, product recalls, destruction of consignments and tighter inspection requirements.

"EU pesticide use averages 2.67 kg per hectare-over 11 times India's 0.24 kg- yet imported food receives relatively limited testing in India," he said, adding that lower tariffs under the India-EU trade pact would have limited benefits if Indian agricultural exports continue to face restrictive EU food safety barriers.