An enlightened consumer ( not misinformed) can be an asset to the food industry as it will save them from unsubstantiated insinuations by vested interests and any mechanism that can educate the consumer regarding the multi dimensional nature of food is bound to be helpful. This is currently being done by some NGOs, many of them, being marginally better in terms of real time information about many aspects of food. In an age where consumer is continuously being bombarded with saturation promotional commercials on the small screen, many of them utterly non-nonsensical and unscientific, there is a necessity to present the real picture through a mechanism with wide access. Launch of an authentic web site dedicated to bringing out facts and figures about the food that is consumed every day is a welcome development
"Did you know that one in four Americans report a foodborne illness annually? How about the fact that nearly 200 food recalls are made in the U.S. each year? These are a few of the food safety facts from the newly designed "Got to be N.C. Food Safety" Web site at www.ncfoodsafety.com, that is one of three new ways to get information on food safety, laws and news. The Food and Drug Protection Division of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services also has a toll-free number and e-mail address to provide consumers, retailers, producers and educators with answers to their food safety questions".
Probably the FSSAI, the food safety arm of GOI must address this issue and MFPI can consider starting a dedicated TV channel for this purpose. If such a channel, especially an interactive one, is put in place, consumers will have an authentic source of information on different aspects of food. While launching such a channel, industry cooperation can be sought to present the intricate details of food processing in their facilities.