WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT'S ON THE PLATE

A recent report on Lindt dark chocolates stated that they contain lead and cadmium above the acceptable levels, which has not been denied by the company.

- GEETHA RAVICHANDRAN

On the contrary, it has responded that the presence of heavy metals is inevitable in cocoa. While a class action suit has been filed in the US, it is business as usual for the company.

A few years ago, there was another controversy involving Nestle's Maggi noodles, which was found to contain lead and monosodium glutamate during a lab test in Uttar Pradesh. There was a ban on the product for a few months in 2015, which was subsequently lifted. The irony is that this product, made of refined flour, was marketed with the tagline 'Taste bhi, health bhi'.

While food from around the world is available to entice our palates, there is no guarantee that what we are eating is healthy or even safe. The non-profit Access to Nutrition Initiative has published a study that multinational companies sell less healthy food in low-income countries, where their business volumes are more, while richer countries are privileged to get better quality. The health star rating on a scale of 5 was 2.3 for richer countries, compared to 1.8 for poorer ones. This is a stark example of exploitation and discrimination.

The labelling of processed foods in India is regulated by the Food Safety and Standards Authority, which prescribes the content to display on the packaging. This includes specifying ingredients, their nutritional value and the expiry date. The amount of sugar, salt, additives, artificial sweeteners and trans-fat are also to be displayed. However, even with this information, products make unverifiable claims that they are eco-friendly, organic or diet-friendly.