Since independence India has transformed from a food-deficit to a food surplus country. India have varied agro- climatic conditions along with huge production base which makes it the leading exporter of fresh as well as processed food products.
Despite all the efforts, exporters of agricultural products in India face continuous rejections and bans in the markets of foreign countries. These non-compliance’s occurs due to various reasons such as manifestation of pest, banned chemical residues and microbial contamination in the food product supposed to be exported. Rejections leads to loss of income and market to the exporters.
Some agricultural products such as mangoes, okra, curry leaves, peanuts, table grapes, chillies, prawns, shrimps, and tamarind faced rejections and bans in markets of US, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Bhutan and Europe due to health and food safety standards issues.
All food manufacturers should test their food product for safety, contamination or residue, and accurate nutrition composition. Techniques involved in testing of food products are

Analytical Chemistry testing:

This involves testing of fresh and processed food products for pH, colors, additives, preservatives, contaminants, minerals and trace elements. Accurate nutritional analysis is crucial as it ensures that the consumer comply with labeling regulations as well as retailer specifications. Analyzing the chemical make-up of food products is important for health claims, nutrition labeling and allergen warnings. It also reveals the normal nutrient composition of food, levels of natural intoxicants and allergens, potential contaminants, like pesticide and migrants from packaging.

Food microbiology testing:

Micro-organisms contaminating or inhabiting food products are tested to assess the safety of the raw material, component, ingredients and final products. Microbiological food testing does not guarantee 100% safe food product as it is done only on a small sample. It just ensures that the food material is free from pathogens by the testing procedures and sampling methods used. It guides if the sampling/testing procedure is correctly designed and finished according to the guidelines or not.

Food nutrition analysis:

Normally food companies send their food samples to various labs for nutritional analysis. Under this they estimate moisture, protein, total fat, crude ash, dietary fibre, sodium, sugars, carbohydrate and energy. The labeling on food products should mention the complete nutritional composition of the food product. All countries have different labeling regulations so the exporter should manage labeling of their product accordingly. This includes nutrition facts panel formatted, serving size per container, declaration (if required), ingredients list (as per dominance), and food allergen labeling.

Food Allergen testing:

Food allergens are naturally proteins in food or their derivatives causing abnormal immune response. Every product is first tested for potential allergen in the ingredient of final product. Allergic components commonly found in food products include gluten, eggs, peanuts, nuts, soybeans and milk. Visible label with warning about the potential allergic contents should be printed on packaging. Food related allergies are something that stays life long. So, it is important for food manufacturers to conduct regular tests for potential allergen that may contaminate their products.

Sensory Testing:

The identification of a food product by human senses (sight, smell, touch, hearing and taste) is used for evaluating consumer product. Special taste assessors are appointed to test the taste of the finished food product in industries. This can be seen through:
Sight- for determining color of a food product
Smell-for detecting presence of rancidity in food
Taste-for testing flavor of a food product
Touch-for checking the texture of any food commodity
Hearing- e.g. Crunchiness of potato chips

Pesticide Residue Testing:

Pesticide levels above the regulated value are hazardous for the food chain and are tested foremost in any food product testing. Pesticide residues such as fungicides, insecticides, molluscicides, herbicides, rodenticides are tested in a sample by liquid and gas chromatography. STRC offers tests for pesticides in cereals, beverages, dairy products, grains, legumes, fruit, sea food, poultry products and vegetables.

Food product exporters commonly face issues like:

Pest infestation
High levels of pesticides residues
Low MRLs without any scientific justification
Low harmonized Standards across countries
Rigid Import regulation in the destination country
High risk diseases such as Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD)