Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that food certification should be conducted by governmental agencies, not by non-governmental organizations.
During a press conference, when asked about the Uttar Pradesh government banning the production, storage, distribution, and sale of food products with halal certification, she emphasized that certification should only be given by government agencies.
“Food quality and food testing are essentially a government job. Government should do it. We have our Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI),” she said, adding that government agencies should determine the presence of chemical additives, artificial or harmful colors, and so on.
“They (government bodies) will have to be the authority to certify which is quality food for people to consume. Non-Governmental Organizations doing it is not right,” she emphasized.
Most Read
What happens to your body if you only eat fruits for 72 hours?
Tiger 3 box office collection day 9: Salman Khan’s action film inches towards Rs 400 crore worldwide, registers lowest single-day haul yet
The Uttar Pradesh government on November 18 banned the production, storage, distribution, and sale of food products with halal certification, with immediate effect, while exempting products manufactured for export.
In a statement, the state government alleged that there have been “malicious attempts” to discourage the use of products lacking a halal certificate, in the pursuit of “unfair financial benefits”, and claimed that it also forms part of a “pre-planned strategy to sow class hatred, create divisions in society, and weaken the country” by “anti-national elements.”
Sitharaman was in the city to participate in poll rallies for BJP candidates in the run up to the November 30 assembly elections.