'Q' MARK STANDARDS FOR FOODS-ANOTHER GIMMICK IN THE OFFING!

Thinking loud is a good exercise but if the thoughts are not put into action such thoughts are just futile. India is supposed to have a "powerful" Authority at Delhi which claims that it is overseeing the activity of food industry and ensure only good quality products with assured safety are manufactured and marketed. But looking back is this really happening in the country at the ground level and are Indians better off than they were a few years ago? Whole world knows that India has the weakest enforcement infrastructure to monitor thousands of food products marketed in the country and a sizable portion of the food basket is adulterated, some even dangerous when consumed continuously for long periods. The food fraudsters have a free run in this country as a microscopic minority of these criminals are brought to book. It is laughable that for a country of the size of India, the annual conviction for food frauds is hardly about 700! Against such a background the recent proposal to evolve a separate quality certification system for foods with quality higher than the minimum threshold level prescribed in the statute books, is a good "loud thinking". But is it reasonable to assume that this will really come into being and become a reality? Doubtful if the past track record of Government of India (GOI) is taken into reckoning. Here is the gist of the proposal now being "considered" by GOI.

"Processed foods in the country could soon be graded for their quality and safety by Quality Mark (Q Mark), a standard instituted by the ministry of food processing industries (MoFPI). It would be on the lines of Agmark, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the International Standards Organisation (ISO) certification. This would be possible after MoFPI receives a universal nod on its report titled, 'Report on Establishment of Quality Mark in the Food Processing Industry'. The report, which was submitted by the Quality Council of India (QCI) to MoFPI sometime ago, was recently uploaded on both MoFPI's and QCI's websites for consultation and comments. The ministry added that it has also been circulated among industry bodies, such as the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM), the All India Food Processors' Association (AIFPA), and the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI). Speaking to FnB News, an official from MoFPI said, "The ministry received a proposal from CII for establishing a quality mark for the food processing sector. Following the proposal, a meeting was held earlier this year. It was chaired by secretary of food processing industries, and attended by industry representatives."  "At this meeting, it was decided to entrust QCI with designing the Quality Mark scheme for the food processing sector. It was envisaged that QCI would formulate the scheme following a process of multi-stakeholder consultation and subsequently the industry would decide whether and how to take it forward," he added. "The main purpose of the scheme is to offer the consumer the choice of purchasing a food product that gives a higher level of assurance of quality and safety. This assurance shall come in the form of Q Mark that would distinguish the 'marked' product from other products available in the market," the ministry added. MoFPI added that the scheme would be purely voluntary in nature and shall assist in providing both tangible and intangible benefits to the food processing industry, which must now decide whether and how to take it forward. The structure of the scheme shall help in validating both the product quality and safety amongst a plethora of products that are flooding the Indian market. The enhanced compliance by the food business operators (FBOs) who opt for the Q Mark scheme could eventually provide them a host of additional benefits, including a reduction in the regulatory oversight and an increase in the acceptance of food products from India in the international market, as well. Meanwhile, contesting reservations from some quarters about the prevalence of a number of other quality marks in the country, B Venkatraman, secretary general, QCI, said, "There is a basic difference between the existing standards and Q Mark – the others are for specific products (for instance, Agmark is only for agriculture produce, mainly for spices, and BSI is for packaged drinking water). The food processing industry needs a standard which will fulfil its own peculiar requirements according to the global standards."

It is not clear as to who is going to bell the cat? Any one involved in this proposal has any idea regarding the extent of efforts which is needed to put in place such a regime? Of course a few years will pass by before a number of committees to be set up come with their recommendations. Industry should be happy because there is an implied assurance that once the new quality certification is obtained they will have a free run with least interference from government agencies in monitoring the quality of their products. Every body knows the ISI mark which was once coveted by the industry and the pathetic experience during the last two decades. Even to day ISI mark is supposed to be compulsory for packaged water but where is the monitoring mechanism? Are all the ISI marked packaged water conform to specifications? Unlikely because of tardy implementation by the BSI which again is harm strung by infrastructural limitations.

One can only hope that the new "Q" mark scheme will not be similar to other existing "no good" government systems!

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

THE '100 DAYS' DREAM-PRAYING FOR ITS FULLFILMENT!

India is blessed with a minister lording over the affairs of Ministry of Food Processing at New Delhi, who took over as MoS reluctantly in 2004 after some 'persuasion' by the Prime Minister and if 5 years of announcements and pronouncements made by the minister between 2004 and 2009, are taken seriously food industry in India must be in the pink of health. His promotion to full fledged cabinet rank seems to have brought out his talent in speaking as reflected by the proclamation of his proposed "plans" for the food sector during the first 100 days of the new government. It is not clear whether the counting starts from the day the minister is sworn in or from the day he made the announcement, July 1, 2009. Plus or minus a few days, still the target set by him is indeed ambitious. A sample is given below:

1. MoFPI will set up 350 new food processing units in sectors like fruits and vegetables, meat, dairy,grains and consumer products
2. It will generate 10 million jobs by 2015, the program starting in 100 days
3. Financial assistance of Rs 50 lakh or 25% of the investment which ever is less will be extended to each new unit
4. Employment of 18 people directly and 64 people indirectly per Rs one crore investment will be the guideline for new industries
5. The ministry will usher in an 'evergreen revolution' to ensure continuity of the benefits derived from green revolution in agriculture
6. It will set in motion plans to train 1 lakh trained personnel for the food industry
7. MoFPI will prepare a blue print for creating one million skilled workers and 0.5 million women entrepreneurs
8. The much touted NIFTEM at Kundli, Haryana, MoFPI's brain child conceived during the last 5-year Plan, is proposed to be inaugurated during this period
9. Focus will be on creating infrastructure for supporting the food processing sector and proposes to commission two integrated cold chain projects
10. Proposal to set up India's first Mega Food Park named Patanjali Food and Herbal Park near Haridwar in Uttarkhand will be given shape and this program will be expanded to set up another 10 such mega parks within two years
11. MoFPI will seriously pursue efforts to declare a tax holiday for the food sector, lower customs, VAT and excise duty rates on products, raw materials and packaging inputs as it has realized now that such financial levies are crime against the farmers of this country
12. Not to be left behind, R & D agenda for the food sector will be set by the ministry
13. It will launch nation wide "campaigns" to address safety and quality issues and improve competitiveness in the unorganized sector, small and medium scale enterprises
14. MoFPI 'wishes' to raise the level of food processing from 6% to 20% by 2015
15. Value addition to raw materials through processing will be raised from 20 to 35 % while country's share in global food trade will be enhanced from 1.5% to 3% by 2015

Looked from any angle the plans are mind boggling and the country should consider itself lucky even if a fraction of what is proposed, materializes at the ground level, not in 100 days but at least within the next 2 years It is believed that God, up in the heaven, has a habit of saying 'Asthu' frequently and if the time of making this proclamation on July 1, 2009 has coincided with God's blessings, we may yet see the fulfillment of the minister's dreams, if not within 100 days, some time there after!.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/