Srinagar, Oct 29: For people buying protein powders, calcium and vitamins or any other health supplement, the price on the label is just a small part of the equation. What should worry the consumers is whether the product contains what it claims, in the same quantity one requires, and is not laced with dangerous additives and impurities.
In J&K, the concern has been exaggerated by the recent findings by the Food and Drugs Administration (Drug and Food Control Organisation). It found of the 328 nutraceutical samples collected over six months, 136 were found non-conforming to prescribed standards. That translates into more than four out of every 10 samples failing the checks, necessary for safety of consumers. Commendably, more samples have been taken by the J&K FDA, for a better clarity on what is in the bottles and strips that consumers pay a hefty amount for.
The findings bring to focus the quality of products marketed for health and nutrition. Although the findings do not establish that all the failed products were unsafe or ineffective, the officials in the department said many were found to have active ingredients less than what was written on the label. Many, the officials said, had preservatives that had not even been declared on the label. Further testing, they said, is going on.
For consumers, product claims and packaging are the main sources of information available while purchasing. The concerns are not limited to J&K.
Just last week, samples of iron injection, multi-vitamins and calcium failed tests carried out by CDSCO, GoI. Haryana, and some other states’ FDA has also started a drive on testing of neautraceuticals.
An independent study led by hepatologistDrCyriac Abby Philipsexamined 36 popular protein supplements sold in India. The results were disturbing – there were discrepancies between declared and measured protein content. There also was detection of contaminants in some products. The results of this study were published in the journal Medicine in April 2024. Carried out under the banner – the Citizens Protein Project, it examined protein content, fungal toxins, pesticide residues, heavy metals, steroids and other compounds.
The tests, that had been carried out at the most advanced labs in India, found most of the products did not meet their labelled protein content, while some contained higher-than-declared amounts. This raised concerns about possible protein or amino-acid spiking. Shockingly, aflatoxins were also detected in four products, while pesticide residues and heavy metals were also traced in some of the samples.
The study, perhaps the only one of its kind in India, highlighted why declared nutritional content and laboratory verification matter to consumers who pay for specific ingredients and quantities.
A consumer buying a supplement for its advertised protein content or nutritional composition is, in many cases, not getting exactly what the label promises.
Nutraceuticals and health supplements are subject to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s regulatory framework, including the Food Safety and Standards (Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals, Food for Special Dietary Use, Food for Special Medical Purpose, Functional Foods and Novel Foods) Regulations, 2016, alongside other applicable food safety and labelling requirements.
