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ITC Limited

PO Box No. 317, G.T. Road, Guntur - 522 004
Andhra Pradesh, India
Phone: +91 863 2348117/ 8040

Registered Office:

ITC LIMITED, Virginia House,
37, Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Kolkata - 700071, India
Ph: +91-33-22889371, Fax:+91-33-22880655

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Food Safety - the Evolving Global Scenario

  • Over the past few decades, rising public awareness on food related risks has resulted in many countries placing rigorous regulations on imports. The sheer number of regulations is increasing steadily, while existing ones are revised frequently, backed by a policy of rigorous implementation.
  • In 2008, the EU instituted stringent food safety legislation along with strict enforcement. The regulations included an increased number of pesticides screenings as well as lower tolerance for non-compliance to stipulated aflatoxin and allergen levels.
  • The next major wave of change came through the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) enacted in 2011 by the USA - the largest importer of spices from India - to be administered through the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
  • The current scenario is one in which international import regulations are constantly evolving and becoming increasingly rigorous, especially in terms of pesticide MRLs (Maximum Residue Levels), raising concerns regarding food safe supply security and agricultural sustainability particularly in countries like India.

Indian Farmers - Challenges in Competing
in the Global Market

The majority of Indian farmers own small landholdings and agriculture is their only source of income. Contending with a host of challenges - environmental, infrastructural, social - they tend to be risk averse and multiple constraints prevent them from being able to adopt new approaches.

Without access to knowledge and information on the rapidly changing market, they are unable to make the changes required to align their products to global market demands and particularly in the case of spice farmers, to ensure their produce complies with international food safety regulations.

ITC recognises that only large scale backward integration strategies involving entire farming communities can deliver the economies of scale needed to make it viable for small farmers to adopt change and deliver food safe produce sustainably. Given its extensive and longstanding relationship with farming communities across the country, ITC is uniquely positioned to implement integrated farm management initiatives that enable farmers to embrace sustainable farm practices through the entire soil to crop cycle.