I need to tell you right away that I do not know what the untold story is. Nevertheless, I am certain there is one. Ever since the varicella zoster virus crept into me, I've been confined in my room. It is a highly contagious virus; leaving me with no option but to room-arrest myself. 'Arrest' can be misleading here; I do not wrap myself up in a blanket and lay on the bed all day. It is in fact quite a holiday; I've had everything I want, food is being brought to my room and the virus doesn't give me much trouble.
If you're wondering what I'm talking about, I've taken inspiration from Tamil cinema; the first scene in a movie is an important one and very relevant to the story. What follows immediately might or might not always contribute to the story in any manner, but they're still there. Now, we cut back to the story.
I've been watching a lot of news on the TV due to the illness and a major part of it over the past few days has been about the much talked about Maggi row. It did not come across as a matter of surprise to me initially when it was found to contain harmful levels of certain chemicals; people had earlier advised me against it and called it cancerous. Nevertheless, no other product in the market can substitute for the "quick food" that Maggi has been over all these years and I never stopped buying it. It is also also the only 'eatable' which most of us can cook while making it taste as good as anyone else's.
However, the FSSAI decided to pull the plugs off the product and call it 'harmful'. News channels were quick to do their job - Mr. Goswami certainly did, in high-decibel fashion with his panel of food experts. In fact, they did their job so well that the brand's reputation was taken down in a matter of days and the global CEO of Nestle took the next flight to India.
What exactly is the issue? The amount of lead content in Maggi has been found to be higher than the allowable limit established by the FSSAI, higher by 17 times! The presence of lead is not indicated in the list of ingredients on the package. Some authorities find MSG in it, an ingredient that is not mentioned. A few of them say that the problem is restricted to March 2014 batches, products of which should have expired by now; but a few states have banned the product based on tests on current batches. The list goes on.
As a consumer, before all of us are exposed to more technicalities on ingredients and become degree holders in food science, let us try to put things in perspective and try to stay away from the manipulative nature of the media. The first question that logically follows is 'The product is found to be harmful for consumption, exceeding limits by alarming amounts. Why is it news all of a sudden? How was the product approved in the first place?'. This is the question that has remained unanswered. In one of the debates on the issue, a BJP spokesperson pointed out that the FSSAI is to be blamed for the delay in identifying the harms of the product and that it is only a matter of time before such products are being taken off shelves. It is important to note the 'delay' she is referring to. I cannot recollect when I started consuming Maggi, it has been very long since I did; the 'delay' referred to here, is at least one of ten years in that case. Thus, it is possible that you and I have been consuming a product that has been harmful, for over a decade without our authorities 'identifying' the harm.
Another debate points out that the tastemaker and the noodle cake have to be treated as one and not separate entities according to international standards. As consumers, we just don't need to know testing procedures and it is not for the household to debate about. All we need to know is whether a certain product is safe or not, and hence, the government run FSSAI; in them, we trust.
A lot of other products is under the scanner too. One of the news reporters barged into a Starbucks store to report that four of their coffee varieties and seasonings have been found to violate regulations. Eight out of twelve other noodle products have been found to contain higher amounts of lead. This 'sudden' awareness is baffling, from a consumer point of view.
The media calls this a 'wake up call' for our authorities. The news that we've been exposed to contains more than required levels of chemistry. What the consumer needs to know is what remains untold. The untold story is one which would answer the following questions - Is it safe for me to consume all products that are available at the market? If not, what is the kind and amount of discretion that I, as a consumer, should enforce? And finally, are the authorities even doing their job of ensuring safety in food products? The answer to all these questions would expose what has gone wrong, who is responsible and what the preventive measures are. At the moment, the chemistry is not doing the job.
If you're wondering what I'm talking about, I've taken inspiration from Tamil cinema; the first scene in a movie is an important one and very relevant to the story. What follows immediately might or might not always contribute to the story in any manner, but they're still there. Now, we cut back to the story.
I've been watching a lot of news on the TV due to the illness and a major part of it over the past few days has been about the much talked about Maggi row. It did not come across as a matter of surprise to me initially when it was found to contain harmful levels of certain chemicals; people had earlier advised me against it and called it cancerous. Nevertheless, no other product in the market can substitute for the "quick food" that Maggi has been over all these years and I never stopped buying it. It is also also the only 'eatable' which most of us can cook while making it taste as good as anyone else's.
However, the FSSAI decided to pull the plugs off the product and call it 'harmful'. News channels were quick to do their job - Mr. Goswami certainly did, in high-decibel fashion with his panel of food experts. In fact, they did their job so well that the brand's reputation was taken down in a matter of days and the global CEO of Nestle took the next flight to India.
What exactly is the issue? The amount of lead content in Maggi has been found to be higher than the allowable limit established by the FSSAI, higher by 17 times! The presence of lead is not indicated in the list of ingredients on the package. Some authorities find MSG in it, an ingredient that is not mentioned. A few of them say that the problem is restricted to March 2014 batches, products of which should have expired by now; but a few states have banned the product based on tests on current batches. The list goes on.
As a consumer, before all of us are exposed to more technicalities on ingredients and become degree holders in food science, let us try to put things in perspective and try to stay away from the manipulative nature of the media. The first question that logically follows is 'The product is found to be harmful for consumption, exceeding limits by alarming amounts. Why is it news all of a sudden? How was the product approved in the first place?'. This is the question that has remained unanswered. In one of the debates on the issue, a BJP spokesperson pointed out that the FSSAI is to be blamed for the delay in identifying the harms of the product and that it is only a matter of time before such products are being taken off shelves. It is important to note the 'delay' she is referring to. I cannot recollect when I started consuming Maggi, it has been very long since I did; the 'delay' referred to here, is at least one of ten years in that case. Thus, it is possible that you and I have been consuming a product that has been harmful, for over a decade without our authorities 'identifying' the harm.
Another debate points out that the tastemaker and the noodle cake have to be treated as one and not separate entities according to international standards. As consumers, we just don't need to know testing procedures and it is not for the household to debate about. All we need to know is whether a certain product is safe or not, and hence, the government run FSSAI; in them, we trust.
A lot of other products is under the scanner too. One of the news reporters barged into a Starbucks store to report that four of their coffee varieties and seasonings have been found to violate regulations. Eight out of twelve other noodle products have been found to contain higher amounts of lead. This 'sudden' awareness is baffling, from a consumer point of view.
The media calls this a 'wake up call' for our authorities. The news that we've been exposed to contains more than required levels of chemistry. What the consumer needs to know is what remains untold. The untold story is one which would answer the following questions - Is it safe for me to consume all products that are available at the market? If not, what is the kind and amount of discretion that I, as a consumer, should enforce? And finally, are the authorities even doing their job of ensuring safety in food products? The answer to all these questions would expose what has gone wrong, who is responsible and what the preventive measures are. At the moment, the chemistry is not doing the job.
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