EU Seeks Clarity From India on Food Safety Rules

The European Union (EU) has raised concern on India's sudden stricter implementation of packaging rules under the Food Safety and Standards Act, following the country's health ministry blocking huge consignments of cheese and chocolates from Europe that failed to meet the packaging and labeling norms.

Joao Cravinho, EU’s ambassador to India, has written seeking clarity on the rules saying India's "food safety concerns are legitimate," but that both sides must find a manner in which these issues can be addressed "without prejudicing trade, otherwise these could constitute non-tariff barriers,” Cravinho said on Tuesday.

Last month, the Food Safety and Standard Authority under the health ministry had blocked consignments of about 200 tons of imported cheese, chocolates and other food items, which has sparked the controversy. Under the new norms, pasting stickers to categorize products as vegetarian or non-vegetarian aren’t enough; the product cover should be printed with the details. To read more, click HERE.