1. Safe Processing Matters More Than Zesty Flavours: Crisis of Trust in Informal Food Systems
1. Syllabus
GS-II: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections; Social Justice. GS-III: Economy—Food Processing and related industries; Health and Hygiene.
2. Context
The editorial addressed the persistent issue of food safety and quality in India’s informal food systems, which include street vendors, small eateries, and kirana stores. The discussion was catalyzed by recent high-profile incidents involving food adulteration and contamination, leading to a crisis of public trust.
3. Main Body in Multi-Dimensional Analysis
India’s food system is characterized by a “missing middle” in regulation. While large packaged food companies are generally well-regulated, the informal sector, which employs a significant portion of the urban poor and caters to the masses, remains loosely monitored.
- The Trust Deficit: Consumers often prioritize affordability and traditional taste (“zesty flavours”) over certified safety and hygiene. This allows informal vendors to operate with low safety standards, contributing to foodborne illnesses and long-term health issues.
- Regulatory Challenges: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) faces challenges in enforcing standards across millions of decentralized informal units. The focus often remains on large-scale packaged food, neglecting the ground-level risks. The issue is not just about enacting rules but creating a low-cost, decentralized compliance architecture.
- Reconciling Tradition with Safety: Traditional food processing methods are often integral to local culture and livelihoods. The solution is not to eliminate them but to innovate safety within tradition—for instance, through simple, low-cost technologies for water purification, waste disposal, and temperature control, coupled with mandatory, localized training and micro-certification.
- Socio-Economic Impact: Stricter, non-supportive regulation disproportionately harms the poorest vendors. A transition to a safer system requires economic incentives (e.g., subsidies for clean equipment) and social recognition, integrating these workers into the formal economy rather than punishing them.
4. Implications
The crisis in informal food systems impacts public health, particularly for children, and stunts the formal growth of the food processing industry. It requires a shift from a punitive to a facilitative regulatory model by FSSAI and local municipal bodies.
5. Way Forward
The path forward lies in decentralized FSSAI certification and training programs, empowering local self-help groups (SHGs) and municipal bodies to serve as compliance monitors and trainers, thereby democratizing food safety.
2. The Future of Health Lies in Harmony: Rediscovering Traditional Medicine
1. Syllabus
GS-II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health; Health infrastructure.
2. Context
The editorial focused on the growing global recognition of Traditional Medicine (TM), catalyzed by events like the First and Second WHO Global Summits on Traditional Medicine (2023 and 2025) and the establishment of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre (GTMC) in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
3. Main Body in Multi-Dimensional Analysis
Traditional medicine, exemplified by India’s AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Homoeopathy) system, is fundamentally based on the philosophy of “Health as Harmony”—a holistic balance between the body, mind, and nature, contrasting with the reactive, disease-centric model of Western biomedicine.
- India as a Global Leader: India’s AYUSH sector is valued significantly, reflecting a national strategy to pivot from curative to preventive, personalized, and integrative care. India has been actively pushing for the global standardization and scientific validation of traditional practices.
- WHO’s Role: The GTMC’s mandate is to establish a global hub for evidence generation, research, and policy on traditional medicine, aiming to integrate TM into national health systems safely and ethically. This is crucial for achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
- The Gujarat Declaration: This declaration emphasized the need for biodiversity protection (as raw materials are often sourced from nature), fair benefit-sharing with local and indigenous communities, and leveraging digital innovation to document and disseminate traditional knowledge.
- Integrating Tradition and Technology: The challenge is to apply modern scientific rigor (pharmacology, clinical trials) to ancient wisdom while preserving its holistic essence. The integration of TM with technology can provide sustainable and affordable healthcare solutions, especially in underserved rural areas.
4. Implications
Elevating TM provides an opportunity to support broader societal goals, including biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, establishing India’s position as a ‘Global Health Leader’ in the post-pandemic era.
5. Way Forward
India must strengthen its standards and research protocols for AYUSH, ensuring that the practice is evidence-based. Furthermore, expanding the integration of AYUSH into public health programs and medical education (integrative health) is necessary.
