Is the Food on Our Plate Really Safe? Recalls Raise a Bigger Question
When everyday food products that millions of families buy with confidence repeatedly come under the scanner of food-safety authorities, an uncomfortable question arises:
How safe is the food in our kitchens?
Recent regulatory actions involving commonly used products from major brands have once again highlighted the importance of food testing, enforcement and, most importantly, communication with consumers.
LG Asafoetida: But Do Consumers Know?
Earlier, food-safety authorities took action against certain compounded asafoetida products after samples failed to meet prescribed standards.
In the case of LG compounded hing, government information said six raw hing samples tested contained starch ranging from 15% to 32%, against a permitted level of 1%. A prohibition-of-sale order was issued and manufacturers were advised to recall affected substandard products.
But this raises a much bigger question.
How many consumers actually know about it?
Many families may have purchased these products weeks or months earlier and could still have packets sitting in their kitchens.
When authorities issue a prohibition or recall, is publishing an order enough?
What about the consumer who has already bought the product?
If information about an affected product does not reach the household using it, the purpose of a recall remains incomplete.
Nestlé Dairy Product Under Scrutiny
More recently, a sample of Nestlé's Low Fat Dairy Whitener was reportedly classified as “unsafe and substandard” following laboratory testing.
The sample had reportedly been collected from a hotel in Delhi, with regulatory action subsequently initiated.
This should not be interpreted as a blanket ban on every Nestlé milk powder or dairy product. But when a food sample fails safety or quality requirements, consumers deserve clear information about exactly which product and batch is affected.
Now, Everest Cumin Powder
The latest concern involves a specific batch of pre-packed Everest cumin powder (jeera powder).
A sample collected in Goa was reportedly found to contain pesticide residues — Azoxystrobin and Thiamethoxam — above the prescribed maximum residue limits.
The sample was consequently declared unsafe and action was initiated to recall the concerned batch.
Again, an important distinction must be made:
This does not mean that every packet of Everest cumin powder has been banned. The regulatory action concerns the affected batch.
Nevertheless, when frequently used household food products repeatedly face safety or quality-related action, the issue deserves serious public attention.
Is Banning or Recalling a Product Enough?
Suppose authorities test a product today and discover a problem.
By then, how many packets have already reached shops?
How many have been sold?
How many are already inside people's kitchens?
And how many consumers have already used them?
These questions are just as important as the laboratory findings themselves.
When a product is recalled, authorities and manufacturers should make the brand name, exact product name, batch/lot number, manufacturing date and expiry date easily accessible to the public.
Consumers should also be clearly told what to do with an affected packet — stop using it, return it to the retailer, seek a replacement, or dispose of it.
A Big Brand Name Cannot Replace Food Safety
Most consumers do not examine batch numbers, ingredient lists or regulatory alerts every time they shop.
They buy based largely on one thing:
Trust.
A familiar brand name gives people confidence that what they are taking home is safe.
That is precisely why food-safety failures involving established brands deserve greater scrutiny.
A company may have decades of reputation. Its advertisements may reach millions. Its products may be present in almost every supermarket.
But reputation cannot substitute for testing.
Every packet that reaches a consumer must meet the prescribed safety and quality standards.
When a medicine is recalled, people immediately understand the seriousness of the warning. Food recalls deserve similar attention because these are products that adults and children may consume every day.
From asafoetida to dairy products and now cumin powder, the recent incidents leave us with a larger question.
The issue is not merely:
“Has the product been banned or recalled?”
The more important question is:
“Has that warning reached every kitchen where the affected product may still be sitting on the shelf?”
Because food safety does not end when an authority issues an order.
It ends only when the consumer knows.
