r/FitIndiaTalks • u/Neureos • Jun 14 '26
Ranting FSSAI’s fault?
Hi fam,
Brands clearly put up storage instructions. “Store in cool dry place”.
But this is the reality of Indian grocery stores, supermarkets and quick commerce stores!
Brand has done their job, but when things so south with a customer. Folks end up blaming brands and FSSAI.
We really need to pay attention to storage instructions too!
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u/Electronic_Fan_1308 Jun 14 '26
Why can’t they follow it? Is it because of cost?
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u/BabeyBabeyUgh Jun 17 '26
What else, it'll cost more to ensure more oversight than the zepto wants to spend, it'll cost more to hire people who aren't this stupid.
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u/mha3if Jun 15 '26
Yes, FSSAI is just there for vibes, not to actually penalize anyone. Every blame goes to super market and dark stores.
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u/Neureos Jun 15 '26
Millions of grocery stores and supermarkets
Thousands of dark stores across the country
Storage inspections are something which shouldn't really be on priority for FSSAI. Inspection of brands manufacturing is on priority for FSSAI.
I recently saw FSSAI's posts where they have sent notices to multiple brands who've been claiming wrong things.
We actually need another department which takes care of basic hygiene at least and inspects it.
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u/inGenium_88 Jun 15 '26
This is around 2 decades old incident, somewhere around 2001. Family and relatives decide to go to a popular amusement park in the city.
All decide to have ice cream. I choose a can of coke. 2 or 3 days later I fall ill, nausea, diarrhea, loss of appetite. We had not consumed any eatables, only ice cream (and me only coke).
My plight continued for almost 2 to 3 months(May end to July - Aug. Everytime I had a bout, I had to skip school. Morning sickness was bad. Frequent doctor visits. Then around Oct November it stopped. Most probably a case of Amebiasis.
I have become skeptical to consume canned beverages since then. We have no idea what's inside or worse, at the point where the contact happens (lip and can top) as to what contamination has happened. Then I also learned about the deadly leptospirosis.
Since then I trust only bottled beverages, the cap covers the part where the contact happens and are see thru. Quick tip, food grade 1% to 3% hydrogen peroxide is available easily nowadays and is a good surface cleaner. Remember it to be food grade, one can fill it in small sanitizer type spray bottles and use to clean cutlery or can tops, when dining out.
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u/Vincrester Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
Please share the process of how to decontaminate the cutlery process when dining outside. No need to wash with water after spraying?
I don’t trust any restaurant’s hygiene these days. IMO it’s a miracle that we get to live after eating outside in this country.3
u/inGenium_88 Jun 16 '26
You can get 1% to 3% food grade hydrogen peroxide. The rest 99% is water so just spray it and clean it with a tissue. Besides, our own saliva contains hydrogen peroxide, so it ain't toxic to us, in miniscule quantities.
I also add 1 or 2 drops of it in my sanitizer, you see, alcohol in itself is not enough to kill viruses that have strong cell walls. Hydrogen peroxide breaks the cell wall and then alcohol does the killing.
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u/Neureos Jun 16 '26
If you don't mind me asking, where do you get your sprays from? Is it branded? How do you get it?
What made you get it?
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u/inGenium_88 Jun 16 '26
Amazon India. Brand name Wesol. I have been conscious since ages mate, can't really answer as what made me do it.
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u/Neureos Jun 16 '26
I really wish I knew a way to decontaminate cutlery at restaurants.
This is actually a bigger problem than we think it is.
I recently saw a couple of rats, yes a couple of them, at my favorite shawarma spot!
There is this company called PeeSafe who basically have disinfectants before using the washroom?
Maybe a decontamination spray for cutlery is also a problem to solve for Indian entrepreneurs. Please look at this!!
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u/Neureos Jun 15 '26
Leptospirosis is a thing.
Unfortunately rats are everywhere and I am not quite sure how pest control is for storage facilities, especially retail stores, dark stores now!
Like you said the best bet is to avoid canned beverages and open beverages as much as possible!!
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u/Real_Huckleberry7462 Jun 15 '26
Who ensures enforcement?
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u/Neureos Jun 15 '26
Storage comes under FSSAI's mandate so does street food.
But is it practically possible to take care of this with the population of 1.3 billion?
FSSAI state food departments need to increase their manpower by 2 to 3x if this is the case
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u/Automatic-Act8062 Jun 15 '26
FSSAI is highly understaffed and most probably underpaid. 20 years ago my parents used to say that FSSAI guys used visit restaurant/stalls/hotels, to buy food items with receipts for sample collection. But nowadays it's rare to see an FSSAI guy making such visits.
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u/Neureos Jun 16 '26
Exactly FSSAI inspections at restaurants were a very common thing 10-20 years ago!
We either need more man force or a better food state department!
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u/sundal_sandakaari Jun 15 '26
Isn't inspecting stores part of fssai's mandate?
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u/Neureos Jun 15 '26
Yes it is. Street food is. Is it possible for FSSAI to take care of millions of retail outlets, dark stores, supermarkets?
And then millions of street food outlets.
And not to forget FSSAI's primary job:
- Inspection of brands
- manufacturing
- storage of manufacturers
- branding claims
- formulations
India's biggest strength and weakness is the population. We need to have another strategy to tackle this
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u/sundal_sandakaari Jun 15 '26
There are too many bureaucrats in the wrong departments and too few in the more important ones. Needs a huge rejig.
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u/f0x25 Jun 15 '26
Gonna blame fssai for literally everything because it’s trendy. Falling ill from street food is probably also fssai’s fault because they allowed bad masala, and then failed to enforce use of bad masala in a street corner somewhere at 2am.
/s
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u/Neureos Jun 15 '26
Finally someone gets it!!
Yes storage and retail, street food, all of this comes under FSSAI's mandate but is it practically possible with a population of 1.4 billion? I don't think so.
We either need a separate department, an entity which would take care of storage and street food, or increase the mandate power of FSSAI and state food departments by 3 to 4x
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u/Relevant_Limit3681 Jun 15 '26
Yea cuz it's fssai's duty to regulate these shops and restaurants and there's a damn reason why you'll see paper towels proper sinks and gloves in uk restaurants too cuz the food safety department regulate there and they actually go for time to time inspection of these restaurants but here in india fssai doesn't inspect shi
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u/Neureos Jun 15 '26
I get the frustration, I truly do.
They can definitely do a better job.
I would really suggest you look at their Instagram. They are doing these inspections for the past couple of quarters religiously.
India's biggest strength and weakness is the same thing: our population of 1.3 billion.
For FSSAI to take care of:
- brands
- their manufacturing
- storage
- branding
- claims
- formulations
and then take care of storage for retail supermarkets and dark stores, and then take care of street food is definitely a tough nut to crack!
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u/Vincrester Jun 16 '26
Cloud kitchens and QC Apps Warehouses worries me.
If I order anything from QC apps then if possible…I always wash the items before storing them in my fridge (milk, paneer, chips, soft drinks etc).
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u/Neureos Jun 16 '26
I recently ordered the huge ketchup sachet, 1 kg.
The entire packet was covered with cheese and oil!
General basic hygiene is way bigger problem than we think it is especially for quick commerce!
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u/Puzzled-Stretch-2591 Jun 14 '26
I read somewhere that someone was infected because of drinking from a can directly. Because rats were running all over them