EP-443 | FSSAI CEO Rajit Punhani on Fake Paneer, Edible Oil, Misleading Labels & Quick Commerce

IAS Rajit Punhani is the CEO of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the organisation responsible for setting food-safety standards and regulating the country’s food industry.

In this edition of the ANI Podcast with Smita Prakash, Punhani explains what the FSSAI mark on a product actually means and why it does not mean that every product has been tested or certified by the regulator.

He addresses concerns surrounding fake paneer, misleading food labels, excessive sugar in packaged drinks and baby food, palm oil, synthetic colours, protein supplements and ultra-processed food.

Timestamps

0:00 – Introduction

1:29 – What FSSAI Logo Means

8:31 – Misleading Food Labels

14:14 – Drinks in Europe vs India

20:57 – Palm Oil Reality

25:27 – Sugar in Baby Food

30:04 – Indian Thali

32:54 – Nutrition Labels

37:05 – ‘Zero Sugar’ Meaning

39:36 – Food Industry Lobbying

42:54 – Fake Paneer and Food Adulteration

50:08 – Quick-Commerce Apps

53:58 – Dark Stores and Cloud Kitchens

58:17 – Street Food and Reused Cooking Oil

1:00:27 – Shortage of Food Safety Officers

1:04:16 – Food Recalls and Unsafe Products

1:08:10 – Protein Supplements

1:10:43 – Ultra-Processed Food

1:14:06 – Synthetic Colours in Food

1:16:53 – How Consumers Can File a Complaint

1:21:10 – Conclusion