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Business Standard

From compliance to confidence: Toward transparent and trusted food systems

Every year on June 7, World Food Safety Day reminds us of a simple but critical truth: access to safe food is a shared responsibility and a public good. The theme for World Food Safety Day 2025 is "Food safety: science in action". This theme highlights the crucial role of scientific knowledge in ensuring food safety, from developing safe practices to addressing foodborne illnesses, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). With consumers growing more vocal about what goes into their food and increasing scrutiny of terms like 'flavour enhancers' and 'chemical preservatives', conversations around food safety have moved from niche policy circles to public discourse. Against this backdrop, a recent Stakeholder Engagement Workshop on Food Additive Safety and Toxicity(SEW FAST), hosted by CSIR-IITR and the Food Future Foundation, took place in Lucknow. It brought together scientists, industry experts, and regulators to examine the persistent gulf between public perception and scientific evidence around food additives. Food additives play a crucial role in preservation, taste enhancement, stability, and nutritional fortification of food. They are especially important in ensuring food safety and security in a country as vast and diverse as India. From ensuring shelf-life in variable hot and humid climates to supporting sodium-reduction strategies through flavour modulators, additives serve both technological and public health purposes. Still, public wariness around food additives remains. A clear example is monosodium glutamate (MSG), which has faced more scrutiny than most. Recent scientific and regulatory evaluations conducted by authoritative bodies across the world, including Food Standards Australia New Zealand, European Commission, WHO, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and even Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) have consistently affirmed its safety. Yet, legacy perceptions persist which feed certain warning labels. The time has now come to bring regulatory clarity to food additives such as MSG and re-establish public trust through evidence-based policymaking. MSG is a naturally derived sodium salt of glutamic acid, an amino acid abundantly found in foods like tomatoes, mushrooms, cheese, and even human breast milk. It enhances flavor through the umami taste, helping make food more palatable, especially for vulnerable populations like the elderly. It has been misrepresented as harmful for far too long, and it is essential to address this gap between perception and scientific reality. In India, food products containing MSG are still required to carry a warning label: 'Not Recommended for Infants and Pregnant Women.' While this requirement reflected the precautionary approach of its time, today's scientific landscape has evolved significantly. Comprehensive global reviews have reaffirmed the safety of MSG, including for sensitive populations, which is less than 1 per cent. As science progresses, policy must have the flexibility to evolve with it ,creating a balance between local relevance and global alignment, ensuring that regulations protect public health, support trade, and respect India's unique characteristics. Updating labelling practices in line with current evidence offers an opportunity not only to align with international standards, but also to strengthen consumer confidence and encourage innovation. This matters for public health. For example, MSG has the potential to support sodium reduction strategies. MSG contains only about 12 per cent sodium, compared to 39 per cent in table salt. Replacing salt partially with MSG in recipes can reduce overall sodium content by up to 30 per cent without sacrificing taste, which is a benefit recognised by the US Institute of Medicine and numerous public health experts. So, what can we do with this knowledge? As consumer awareness grows and food systems become more complex, our regulatory frameworks must evolve. A few principles can guide this shift: Existing models often assume worst-case scenarios of daily maximum consumption. Instead, the country needs an India--specific Food Additive Intake Model (FAIM), based on real dietary data, population groups (infants, elderly, pregnant women), and seasonal consumption. This would enable more realistic estimation of scenario on daily exposure as well as also less than life time, apart from chronic exposure, and may reduce excessive conservatism in identifying safety margin. Regulatory decisions must be communicated to the consumer with clarity, especially the difference between hazard (potential harm) and risk (likelihood of harm) in simple terms. Establishing interdisciplinary advisory councils and platforms for consumer-scientist dialogue can help demystify policies and enhance public trust. India's precautionary labeling laws, such as those on MSG, have not kept pace with recent development of science. As seen in the iron-fortified rice precedent, labels can be updated when evidence evolves. Doing so signals regulatory maturity and consumer respect. It's a collaborative and dynamic process, far from a mere legacy. The theme of World Food Safety Day 2025 reminds us, in the subject of MSG, the crucial role of scientific knowledge in ensuring food safety, from developing safe practices. Regulations must be proactive and forward-looking, not merely reactive. By embedding science into the policymaking process, and not just at the end, we can anticipate risks better and foster innovation responsibly. The goal is not to silence scrutiny, but to enable informed scrutiny. As India prepares to take greater leadership in global food policy, let us ensure our food additive regulations are not just robust, but also scientifically rational. In the case of food additives, that means recognizing the overwhelming scientific consensus, removing unnecessary warnings, and allowing science, not stigma to guide the way.