Food gets a lion share in total consumption expenditure of households ranging from 38.5% in urban to 48.6% in rural India (2011-12). India’s food processing sector is growing at an average rate of 8.4% (2008/09-2012/13) to meet an internal as well as global demand. It is also ranked sixth in the world in exporting agricultural products (2013) and exported Rs 31563.43 crores of processed food in 2014-15.
Indian food processing industry is primarily export oriented and the country still needs to establish domestic regulations in few areas such as food allergies/allergens. Several Indian food product exports were rejected in 2015 by United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) citing “the label fails to declare all major food allergens present in the product, as required by section 403(w)(1)”. The rejected lots include products from manufacturers such as Haldiram Snacks Pvt. Ltd. and Nestle India Ltd. USFDA can also reject a food product “if the food appears to contain a major food allergen through insanitary conditions that led to cross-contact” [Adulteration, Section 402(a)(4)]”.
Food is a complex mixture of nutrients including carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. All these nutrients are essential for our daily activities and well-being. Indian diet comprises several ingredients such as vegetables, pulses, rice/wheat, and spices and delivers essential nutrients. But, everyone cannot eat everything as individual’s immune system respond differently to different food products. Proteins in foods are often misunderstood to be antigens (toxin/foreign objects) by immune system and triggers abnormal response. These abnormal responses are called food allergies and substances in foods that provoke responses are food allergens. More than 160 food materials are identified as allergenic including milk, egg, wheat, fish, peanut, chick peas, rice, black gram, mustard etc. Symptoms of allergic reactions can be mild to severe, from vomiting, hives, breathing problems to life threatening anaphylaxis.
Prevalence of food allergy is higher in preschool children and most of the kids outgrow their allergy as they grow up. The annual incident rate of sensitization to food allergens such as egg, wheat, milk and soy decreases from 10% at one year of age to 3% at six years of age. Food allergies associated with processed foods are important health problems in industrialized countries. Nearly 2% adult population and 8% children are affected by food allergies and the symptoms are exhibited among 22% of the general population. There is no food processing tool for completely eliminating allergenicity and avoidance of such food is the only cure for people who are sensitive. Ingredient label on the processed/packaged food informs consumer about what it is made of (food ingredients) and becomes an important tool in preventing such food products on sensitive individual’s plate. Inadvertent consumption of these foods can cause severe health problems including death.
Several countries had issued food labelling regulations that mandate the precautionary/warning statement regarding the possible allergen to alert the consumer. North American countries such as US and Canada, South America countries such as Brazil and Chile, Asian countries such as Malaysia, Japan and Singapore, and European Union have such labelling regulations. China too joined the group in 2012. However, India does not have any mandatory allergen labelling requirements till date.
Though 160 foods can trigger allergic reactions in people, foods at higher risk of allergy are identified depending on the diet in the region and incidents of allergy. Eight food ingredients cause more than 90% of food allergies in US and 14 ingredients are categorized as higher risk in EU. Rice is not an allergen of concern for US and EU but is a major allergen in Japan. Harish Babu and others conducted a cross-sectional study on the prevalence of food allergy to eggplant in rural and urban Mysore city and confirmed food allergy in 0.8% of tested individuals. Chickpeas and Bengal gram are also considered to trigger allergic reactions on Indians.
It is difficult to estimate the prevalence of food allergy in India as most of the incidents go unreported.
The diagnosis techniques are not only expensive but India also lacks experts in handling/diagnosing the allergy. Language barrier, poor labelling and diversified diets make it more difficult in tracking and tackling food allergy issues. The demand for processed/packaged food in urban areas is growing, so the India’s food processing sector. This can be used as an opportunity to bring awareness about food allergens and ways to avoid. Allergen statement on label can also educate non-sensitive consumers about the issue. Expert committee is now drafting allergen mandatory labelling in India to help consumers. It is important to keep up with world’s food regulations in the globalized economy and hoping to see that happen in 2016.
(Author Akshay Kumar Anugu is a USA based Food Scientist by profession and coordinated several Aam Aadmi Party 2013-2015 electoral campaigns from US. He no longer works with AAP and has no political affiliations)
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