Ram Vilas Paswan says fear only among those selling low quality food items

NEW DELHI: A day after his Cabinet colleague Harsimrat Badal lambasted the Maggi crackdown for creating a fear psychosis in the food industry, Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan today said these actions have rightly instilled the "fear" among those selling "sub-standard products".

Paswan said consumer health is paramount and companies must sell only healthy and safe food products, even as he assured that the government was against any kind of "inspector raj".

He was replying to a query about Badal's comments yesterday that the recent action taken by the food safety regulator FSSAI, including against Maggi noodles of Nestle, has created an environment of fear and was discouraging innovations in the food sector.

Paswan, from BJP's ally Lok Janshakti Party, is Minister for Food and Consumer Affairs, while another ally Akali Dal's leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal is Minister for Food Processing.

"I don't want to talk about the disadvantages of Maggi. But the recent crackdown on food items has definitely created fear in those companies which are manufacturing sub-standard food products in the country," Paswan said.

"Now, those companies are fearing that the government is keeping a watch on them and can stake action," he told reporters here at a media interaction organised by Press Club.

Asked specifically about Badal's comments, Paswan said, "The Food Processing Minister has her own views and she will talk about the interest of her own ministry. What would be my objection to that? The government's intention is to ensure that there is no panic in the market."