As this disaster week for foodies is about to come to an end, where a Mumbai man finds a human finger in his ice cream, if humans aren’t enough, the Noida woman finds a dead centipede.
If all of this isn’t bizarre, finding a dead mouse in chocolate syrup bottle can make your testbuds more sour.
But this is what experts suggest, if next time you find an unwanted element or contaminant in your food.
Here are the following steps which you can take, to safeguard yourself as a consumer.
If you encounter any of such incidents, first, record or document the evidence thoroughly.
This involves taking a good photograph or video of the contaminated food, if necessary, also conserve the packaging of the product along with its content.
In addition, collect the relevant details like order number, date of purchase and from which platform, it was bought.
“The photos or the videos should include the dates of manufacturing, expiry, and the batch number of the product, says Asim Sanyal to India Today.
2. Complain To FSSAI
You can also register your complaint with the manufacturer, concerned e-commerce platform and retailer for the same.
As per the CEO of NGO Consumer Voice Asim Sanyal, the consumer should register their complaint related to food adulteration with FSSAI, as a statutory body and local district consumer forums come under the purview of local safety departments.
‘In India, the mandated authorities to look into complaints of food adulteration and contamination lies with “the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), a statutory body, and the local district consumer forums under the food safety departments of the respective states’ says Sanyal to IndiaToday.In
Accordingly, these bodies might initate action against manufactures and retailers who go against food safety norms and hygiene.
But if you want to approach somebody near, contact the nearest nodal officer of food safety.
3. Don’t Call the Police Unless it poses danger To Your Life
After registering the complaint, don’t approach the police unless it is life threatening.
In the case of life-threatening incident, the aggrieved consumer can register the complaint and bring the copy of complaint given to food safety body.
4. Use Social Media
As witnessed in these above-mentioned cases, consumer can also utilize social media to highlight their problem.
But Sanyal cautions, that one should have valid evidence to proceed with the case.
5. Keep Your Eyes & Ears Open
But most important of all, keep your eyes and ears open. Before opening the product, always check the packaging and keep a look for the signs of any tampering.
Always, make sure that product is genuine not counterfeit.
And lastly, check the manufacturer’s logo, batch numbers, and the date of manufacturing and expiry of the label.
