Science in action: Khet se thali tak – surakshit bhojan, har kadam

Time of India

8 hours ago

'yuktahara-viharasya
yukta-chestasya karmasu
yuktasvapnavabodhasya
yogo bhavati duhkha-ha'
Bhagavad Gita
One who is regulated in eating, recreation, action, sleep and wakefulness, can mitigate all sorrows by practicing yoga.
'Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food' – Hippocrates
As we commemorate World Food Safety Day 2025, with the theme given by the World Health Organization this year – 'Food Safety: Science in Action,' it is a moment to reflect on the bedrock principle that underpins global food systems: science-based standards.
From the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to the US FDA, and the Food Safety Commission of Japan to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the commitment to empirical evidence and rigorous scientific inquiry is the universal hallmark of ensuring food safety. Science, it can be undoubtedly said, is the very soul of food safety.
Food safety is not a matter of theory or tradition; it is a discipline rooted in facts, research, and continuous innovation. The global landscape of food safety is constantly evolving, driven by new scientific discoveries, emerging foodborne hazards, and advancements in food production. This year, the World Health Organisation has given an opportunity to acknowledge how science, technology, and innovation are shaping a new era of food safety globally.
Science is involved in every step of food safety, beginning with the setting of standards. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has a Scientific Committee and 21 Scientific Panels that are its principal scientific arms in the standards development process. The authority has empanelled 286 scientific experts from 88 different scientific organisations and various institutes working in the area of food safety and nutrition. Till date, standards for 1,349 food products, 300 additives and 300 processing aids have been notified.
The last decade has witnessed transformative advancements in India's food safety landscape, all powered by scientific innovation. We have embraced cutting-edge technologies like food irradiation, a process proven to enhance food safety and extend shelf-life by eliminating harmful pathogens and pests. The development of high-yielding food products and the pioneering efforts in biofortification are further testaments to our scientific prowess, addressing both food security and nutritional deficiencies.
A landmark moment in this journey was the release 109 high yielding, climate resilient and biofortified varieties of crops by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August, 2024, at the India Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. Out of 109 varieties, 23 varieties were released as biofortified crops (rich in zinc, iron, protein etc).
Addressing an eminent gathering of food regulators and experts from around the world at the Global Food Regulators Summit held in September 2024, Hon'ble Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Shri JP Nadda underlined the growing importance of food regulators at a time when world is faced with challenges like foodborne illnesses, nutraceutical safety, novel foods, and micro plastics, all the while striving for sustainability.
He had also emphasized the need for continuous collaboration, relentless innovation, and a commitment to constant improvement in the food safety systems.
India's promotion of millets as 'Nutri-cereals' has gained global recognition. Being the largest producers of millets in the World (17.3 million tons in 2022-23), India developed standards for 13 varieties of millets which were well appreciated and acknowledged by Codex-Alimantarious Commission (represents FAO and WHO) in December 2023. Our efforts have not only revitalized these traditional grains domestically but have also spotlighted their nutritional value on the world stage.
Food safety is not a matter of choice; it is a foundational element of public health. Every year, an estimated 600 million people—nearly one in every ten—fall ill from consuming contaminated food, and around 420,000 of them die, as per WHO. Children under the age of five bear a disproportionate burden of these stark figures, accounting for 40% of foodborne diseases and approximately 125,000 deaths annually.
In today's complex and globally interlinked food systems, ensuring food safety at every stage—from farm to fork—is paramount. This requires the combined power of science-based risk assessments and standards, rapid detection tools, and emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), digitization, and smart packaging. These innovations are no longer futuristic ideas; they are already driving real-time decisions and transformative practices on the ground, globally.
Artificial intelligence has emerged as a transformative tool in addressing the multifaceted challenges of food safety, food quality, and food security. AI enhances food safety through real-time contamination detection, predictive risk modelling, and compliance monitoring, reducing public health risks. It improves food quality by automating defect detection, optimizing shelf-life predictions, and ensuring consistency in taste, texture, and appearance. In addition, AI addresses food security by enabling resource-efficient agriculture, yield forecasting, and supply chain optimization to ensure the availability and accessibility of nutritious food resources.
The integration of AI with advanced food processing techniques—such as high-pressure processing, ultraviolet treatment, pulsed electric fields, cold plasma, and irradiation—ensures
microbial safety, extends shelf life, and enhances product quality. Furthermore, the convergence of AI with emerging technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, and AI-powered sensors enables proactive risk management, predictive analytics, and automated quality control throughout the food supply chain.
New technology is also being encouraged to find alternatives to plastic in food packaging, to reduce the dependence on plastics.
In recent years, significant innovations and trends have emerged in the field of food product testing, transforming the way food is produced, processed, and consumed. These advancements have improved the efficiency, accuracy, and effectiveness of food safety measures, enabling early detection of foodborne illnesses and preventing widespread outbreaks. As global population rise, food product testing has become increasingly crucial in detecting contaminants, preventing foodborne illnesses and ensuring regulatory compliance.
The global food safety testing market is fast growing valuing at US$ 21.24 billion in 2024 and expected to reach US$ 44.76 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 8.63% during the forecast period 2025–2033.
To enhance food safety testing systems, various countries are implementing emerging technologies as these are increasingly augmenting the capabilities of traditional food safety systems. Traditional techniques have become unsuitable for direct application in the premises of food businesses as they are relatively expensive, time-consuming and labour intensive, impeding their use as point-of-need tests or rapid tests. In addition, accessibility to such high-end analytical techniques is limited.
Emerging techniques like Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) combined with powerful bioinformatic approaches are revolutionising food microbiology. It has transformed from being solely a research tool to becoming routinely applied in many fields including diagnostics, outbreak investigations, antimicrobial resistance, forensics and food. The technology is developing at a rapid pace, with continuous improvement in quality and cost reduction and is having a major influence on food microbiology.
Smart bio-systems has also introduced a revolutionary approach to food quality monitoring. Advanced biosensors, biopolymers and digital technologies has created intelligent solutions capable of real-time, on-site detection of food quality parameters, monitoring a wide range of factors like microbial contamination, chemical residues, nutrient levels, and freshness indicators.
In India, there is a high demand for cost-effective and robust analytical devices/kits for food safety monitoring in remote areas in order to create effective prevention and control strategies. Thus, India is encouraging the use of rapid food testing kits/equipment/methods benefitting the food industry and surveillance activities in the country. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has established a mechanism for approval of rapid food testing kits/equipment/methods.
Countries like India, the USA, and Japan use advanced labelling technologies to enhance food safety, but their approaches differ in scale and sophistication.
India is expanding the use of QR codes, mobile apps, and starting to explore blockchain and smart packaging. The USA has advanced systems with widespread use of QR codes, RFID, blockchain, and smart labels, backed by strong regulatory enforcement and high consumer demand for traceability. Japan leads in high-tech integration, using blockchain, smart packaging, and detailed traceability systems in everyday retail, with strong consumer engagement and consistent implementation.
Integration of smart technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) into food packaging is not only improving food safety but also plays a crucial role in reducing food waste, a major global issue. Techniques like Smart Packaging Technologies (Use of embedded sensors, time-temperature indicators (TTIs), and color-changing labels to monitor spoilage, temperature abuse, and packaging integrity), Anti-Counterfeit measures to ensure authenticity, Machine learning for Predictive Shelf Life & Material Optimization, Robotics for accurate sealing, filling, and defect detection are significantly used.
India is progressively trying to advance towards technology-driven and consumer-centric regulatory frameworks to enhance food safety standards by integrating digital tools, such as QR codes and blockchain, for improved traceability and transparency across the food supply chain despite the economic and social challenges. FSSAI is actively promoting the use of smart labelling, mobile applications, and real-time monitoring systems to empower consumers with accurate information and enable quicker identification of food safety issues.
India is investing in modernizing laboratory infrastructure and adopting advanced testing technologies to ensure compliance with both domestic and international standards. These efforts reflect a growing emphasis on leveraging technology and prioritizing consumer awareness to build trust and ensure the safety and quality of food products nationwide.
Providing healthy and nutritionally rich food in sufficient quantities is a major United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) to end hunger by 2030. Bio fortification addresses the challenge of Micronutrient Deficiencies ('Hidden Hunger) by increasing the nutrient density of staple crops that form the basis of these diets, thereby improving nutritional status without requiring significant changes in dietary habits or food availability.
This World Food Safety Day, let us commit to harnessing the full power of 'Science in Action' to safeguard the health and well-being of every citizen, ensuring that food truly serves as our medicine, building a robust, resilient, and safe food system for generations to come.
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Views expressed above are the author's own.