The dilemma for the Indian consumer. Our food regulator is asleep at the wheel. Tainted protein powder, milk, spices, fruits. You name it and food product has been tainted. It took independent studies or foreign regulators to highlight contaminants in our food supply. And there are several local companies that have been ringing the alarm bells over food quality in India too. 

What do we do as consumers? Honest answer. Start building relationships with shops and suppliers. Know who you are buying from and what you are buying. Find someone you trust and deal with them. If this sounds incredibly impractical, I agree. 

But our trust in regulators, governments and most food companies is non-existent and deservedly so. 

The food industry screws the consumer at every possible level: labelling, advertising, quality, contaminants or just poor supply chain practices. 

And the regulator does the token slap on the wrist. This leaves a vaccum for fear mongering influencers and charlatans. 

I’d argue the guys pitching us healthy food are false prophets. Routinely these foods have the same calories per bite as more ‘conventional’ options. And the labelling of protein content has zero context and standard. 

Sure, these are mild offences compared to the carcinogenic chilli powder or lead-laden protein powder. But the rot runs deep is my point. And we really cannot rely or trust marketing or words anymore. 

Takeaway 

The context for organic produce not having an edge may hold true in the west where the food supply chain is incentivised to use far more sedate levels of fertiliser or pesticides. 

But in India, it really is the Wild West when it comes to agriculture and animal husbandry. 

I do hope we as consumers proactively demand more data and actively question what and how much is on our plate.