Opinion | Honest Food Labelling: Many a Slip Between Farm to Fork

If one were to go by the labelling on poultry goods, the bird was living a happy life right until the time it became food, the cow was mooing and munching under a shady tree till it was time to go back to the barn and get milked and the bacon on the breakfast table came from happy pigs raised in idyllic conditions.

Food labelling in India or rather the claims made by brands in India have become multi-coloured, jazzy, and so confusing that the customers are often fooled into buying products at a premium so that they can consume healthy food in a world where sources of food are getting increasingly contaminated.

What is the meaning of labels like “cage-free”, “free-range” or “all natural” and how does one make sure that the product is what it claims to be? There is no official definition of such labels in India and no official department or agency that certifies or even monitors use of such labels.

The only certification that happens is for organic products. Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), which implements the National Programme on Organic Production, and National Centre for Organic Farming (NCOF) are the only organisations that provide certification for organic farmers and animal husbandry.

While both bodies have a host of certification rules, checks by approved supervisory firms and clearly outlay the organic method of growing of crops, vegetable, fruits and rearing of animals, there is no rule that prescribes labelling methodology. Once the certification is complete, the producer is allowed to put the label “India Organic” on the product. Rest of the labels such as farm-fresh, free-range, etc. are marketing gimmicks adapted from Western markets.

For example, in India, to earn the label of an organic chicken farm, poultry should not be kept in cages, there should be sufficient free movement, access to fresh water and adequate facilities should be provided for expression of natural behaviour of the species.

Contrastingly, as per international norms, a free-range chicken is reared in a relatively smaller space. But the company using such a label tries to paint a picture that such “free-range” chickens are reared in even healthier conditions as compared to their “organic” cousins. Product information put by companies on products does not provide any evidence vis-a-vis the label used.

In case of animal agriculture, even the term “organic” is misconstrued. Even if animals are reared in an organic farm, they are forced to endure long trips to slaughterhouses in cramped cages without any food or water and are denied the opportunity to exhibit natural behaviour. The “organic” label does not fully capture the life of the animal, i.e., from farm to the consumer’s plate.

There is also a health risk if one consumes animal products thinking it to be safe because of the organic label. Animals reared for consumption have increasingly been a source of zoonotic diseases. The United Nations’ report, Preventing the Next Pandemic, states that 60% of known infectious diseases in humans, as well as 75% of the new infectious diseases that can endanger humans, are through animals.

In the case of poultry, among seven studies available on antimicrobial resistance in poultry, three have documented high presence of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae. ESBL enzymes break down and destroy some commonly used antibiotics, including penicillin and cephalosporins, making these drugs inert. The rate of ESBL producers found in poultry varied from 9.4% in Odisha to 33.5% in Madhya Pradesh to 87% in Punjab.

The other four studies reported the presence of Salmonella species in broiler chickens, varying from 3.3% in Uttar Pradesh to 23.7% in Bihar with 100% isolates being resistant to ciprofloxacin, gentamicin and tetracycline in Bihar and West Bengal.

As meat consumption grows in India, there is a need for honest labelling to be introduced by companies selling animal-based products. While the official agencies, AEPDA and NCOF have laid out norms to certify organic products, we have already seen unscrupulous elements try to make a quick buck by providing false certification. Recently, the European Union blacklisted five Indian organic certification agencies, rendering a blow to the image of India as a reliable producer of organic products.

In India, or for that matter in most countries of the world, no product gives details of the production system and its impact on humans, animals and environment. It is important to provide information regarding the production system and its impact. This can be through a QR code or by use of label-markers (as used in case of pesticides to denote their effect based on composition and strength). This way consumers get to make an informed decision about the animal product they are going to eat. Multiple checks also need to be built into the certification system so that all labels from farm to fork hold true. Also, the use of block-chain technology to support evidence mapping and tracking backward linkage should be utilised by producers and certifiers alike.

For instance, in the UK, food systems transition focused organisation ‘Compassion In World Farming (CIWF)’ has proposed a six-tier labelling scheme to the government, to state clear descriptions of the farming system and, ideally, also a number to help consumers understand the different systems.

Another urgent need is to conduct a comprehensive market research backed by the Department of Animal Husbandry on the organic animal product market in India. The findings of such research are bound to shed light on the claims made by companies marketing products under labels like free-range.

Lastly, it is awareness among consumers that will drive the need for honest labelling in India. After all, if consumers refuse to pay just for a label and demand proof from companies, they will eventually have to come up with evidence supporting their claims. Ultimately, one can choose to move away from or reduce consumption of animal-based foods to more plant-based options with similar nutritional profiles, which are proven to be far healthier foods for all – animals, humans, and the environment.

It is as Philip Lymbery, says in his book “Sixty Harvests Left: How to reach a Nature-Friendly future”, Governments will need to clear a path for favourable regulatory, labelling and marketing rules, allowing meat alternatives to be desirable, affordable and accessible. It will take public money to move away from supporting intensive meat production and towards alternative sources of protein.

Varda Mehrotra is the founder of Samayu, a non-profit working for positive outcomes for people, planet and animals. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication.

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