As per the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Chairperson Rita Teaotia, the regulatory bodies need to increase their vigilance to make sure that the food safety and quality is maintained at its utmost level.
During the inaugural event of the the fifth session of the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH), Rita Teaotia elaborated the risk of unscrupulous and intentional adulteration of spices through substitution because of their high economic value. This economically motivated adulteration is a highly prevalent malpractice and we need to be extremely vigilant, especially in the regulatory space to avoid such practices,” she stated.
Teaotia put emphasis on the fact that it is crucial to have consistent Codex standards for spices products in global trade and this is a work that requires the highest priority to ensure the safety and quality of the spices and culinary herbs being traded across the globe.
The regulatory bodies need to be more vigilant to ensure food safety and quality.
Guilherme da Costa Jr, Chair of Codex Alimentarius Commission, declared it is indispensable to frame and disseminate Codex standards to ensure the safety and quality of food for everyone, everywhere.
With an aim of the advancement and increment of global standards for spices and culinary herbs and to consult with other international organizations in the standards development process, CCSCH was incepted in 2013 with the assistance of over 100 countries, with India being the host country and Spices Board India serving as the secretariat for organizing the sessions of the committee.