Damaging & Sensitive Unanswered Questions on Harmful Fortification to Food Safety Authority

Damaging & Sensitive Unanswered Questions on Harmful Fortification to Food Safety Authority

Questions which FSSAI Must answer to address the concerns of involvement of Vitamin Cartel in Food Fortification

FSSAI issued FAQs to cover-up the nefarious and disastrous acts of Vitamin cartel and pushing the people to adopt unsafe synthetic vitamins in foods. Even today, WHO website says further studies are required to recommend fortification in staples. Many studies have clearly indicated that food fortification needs very close monitoring and must not be uniform for all population. But FSSAI has gone ahead and issued a notification on fortification to serve whose interest? Definitely there is more than what is visible to all.

As citizen, member of civil society and based on discussion with food and medical experts, I have following questions, which should be addressed by FSSAI to clarify the doubts and to understand the reasons behind so much excitement for food fortification, but same enthusiasm is not shown to control adulteration of food in India which is the prime duty of FSSAI.

It seems FSSAI is pushing fortified adulterated food to promote sale of 100% imported synthetic vitamins at the cost of public health. That is why everyone is asking that this motivation is neither logical and nor normal.

Following questions must be answered to address concern of citizens:

1.  What are the tests approved by FSSAI to differentiate the synthetic vitamins from vegetarian and non-vegetarian sources at consumers end? Please provide the reference documents.

2. Are these vitamin manufacturing units (not premix units) under the jurisdiction of FSSAI and share with public where these units are located?

3. How many Vitamin (not pre-mixes) manufacturing units are audited and approved by FSSAI for quality supplies? Please share their FSSAI registration numbers.

4.  What is the mechanism and auditing systems adopted by FSSAI to ensure that Vitamin is only from vegetarian source? Please share the checklist used for the same.

5. Has WHO recommended fortification of staples? If yes, please share the documents with dates and detailed references? (even till date WHO says, fortification of staples is not recommended because of lack of studies about its utility).

6. Was “Conflict of Interest” disclosure documents as prescribed by WHO and OECD signed by experts invited by FSSAI and participated in the FSSAI consultation process? If yes, please display them on the website of FSSAI and share the copies with media?

7.  Whether any document was submitted to FSSAI about side effects and hazardous effect of synthetic Vitamins by stakeholders? (This is the cover page of that file which was give to FSSAI.)  If yes, can FSSAI share the same and also what the basis of ignoring those concerns? Share the response on all the 52 technical articles submitted to FSSAI in this document.

8.  What is the mechanism adopted by FSSAI to control that no food with over-dosing and underdosing will reach the consumers? Please share the action plan with citizens.

9.  Should people with enough vitamins consume synthetic vitamins via fortified food? What is the advisory from FSSAI to them? Will food labels carry these instructions?

10. How will FSSAI ensure that people under specific medication or health condition do not consumer Fortified foods with synthetic vitamins like Kidney patients should avoid excessive vitamin A and D? Is there any plan to mention warning text on the labels fortified food to guide people what not to eat? If not, why not?

11. What system FSSAI is going to adapt to ensure that all fortified foods will not be adulterated and substandard if consumed by buyers? Please share action plan with citizens.

12. If the cost of fortification is very insignificant, in that case why iodized salt is so expensive compared to non-iodised salt. Was any study conducted by FSSAI to identify the reasons for the price escalation and what measures are suggested to ensure a reduction in prices of fortified salt?

13. FSSAI is advocating once fortification is started, then MNC companies will invest in India. Is FSSAI operating marketing agency for Vitamin suppliers? 

    In how many countries fortification is used in staples and in how many countries vitamin is manufactured? 

    What steps has FSSAI taken to ensure only “Make in India” Vitamins are used so that foreign exchange of the country can be saved?

14. Was there any attempt by CEO-FSSAI to force the industry to adopt fortification?

15. Was there any attempt by CEO to suppress the dissent voices against fortification?

16. What is the mechanism adopted by FSSAI to ensure that no supplier will increase the price of Vitamin and pre-mixed once the food industry will start using the same as per recommendations of FSSAI?

17. Was there any price escalation for vitamins and vitamin pre-mix since FSSAI started a discussion on Vitamins fortification for the domestic market and how much was escalation? Please share your information?

18. Was there any consultation with industry how much additional investment is required by the food companies it wants to make both fortified and non-fortified foods - Capital investment, investment in packaging and also in inventory management.

19. Is FSSAI aware that there is Vitamin cartel exists and the European Union fined the companies involved in the cartel? If yes, please name the companies involved in the cartel and those were fined by EU?

20. Please disclose the name actual vitamin manufacturing companies those who will supply Vitamins to Indian food industry for fortification (not pre-mix suppliers)? (Please share the names so that it can be identified are they part of cartel and donors of NGOs to study confluct of interest?)

21.What are the permitted impurities in standards developed for vitamin and vitamin pre-mix suppliers? Please share the same.

22. Will FSSAI support the demand of open investigation by Civil society about the entire process adopted in the case of food fortification notification?

23.Will FSSAI disclose all the details and scanned copies on the website of the process adopted, documents and people involved, people invited for consultation, dissent voices raised during consultation process and Minutes of Meetings signed by all participants the before finalization of notification on food fortification?

Why label warning is not given in notification?

24.Government is discouraging plastic packaging. How much additional plastic packaging will be used to promote fortified foods? Is there any assessment done by FSSAI? What alternate packaging system is promoted by FSSAI?

FSSAI must respond all questions without exception and also disclose all the supporting document to back-up claims and evidences used.