Good thinking on food safety

The directives given by the ministry to local bodies under its authority to aggressively pursue adulterators is similarly to be applauded, although the directive does beg the question of why this was not within the local bodies' area of responsibility in the first place. We would have thought that local bodies would already have been obligated to perform the tasks that they are now being directed to do.

Similarly, the fact that a draft amendment of the Pure Foods Ordinance has been prepared and will be placed in the next session of parliament is a positive sign that the government is giving this crucial issue the importance that it merits. These steps the government is taking seem to us to be a little belated and to do little more than address needs that should long ago have been fulfilled, nevertheless it is better late than never, and we welcome the efforts.

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Now is the time to move forward boldly on the issue. The first item that should be part of any new legislation is the need for registration and licensing of all who are involved in the food industry. Then strong safety standards must be set forth and circulated publicly so that there can be no doubts as to what the law requires and what consumers can expect. The next step is to impose stiff punishments to deter would-be adulterators, including the blacklisting of restaurants and shops that violate the law and the barring of those involved from further association in the industry.

The devil, as ever, is in the details. We strongly urge the government to ensure that the amendments to the bill are meaningful and to show that they mean business. The final piece of the puzzle is to make sure that local bodies have the manpower and financing to perform their watchdog function. The government must ensure that the drive against food adulteration does not founder due to lack of support from the top and that it is not politicised and therefore rendered toothless.