Japan and India will work together on the issue of food safety cooperation. The announcement was made at the session titled How can we enhance accessibility to Japanese food in India?, which was jointly organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) in New Delhi. 

Mitsushiro Miyakoshi, special advisor to the prime minister of Japan, and Ashish Bahuguna, chairperson, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), were among the dignitaries present when it was made.

Japan and India share the importance of cooperation in the field of food safety for promoting investment in India by Japanese food companies and decided to strengthen the cooperation in this field.

As per the announcement, a delegation representing the country’s apex food regulator will visit Japan to strengthen food safety cooperation, and a meeting for information exchange on food safety will be held, coinciding with this visit.

This announcement was followed by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Ise Foods Inc and the ministry of food processing industries (MoFPI), Government of India, as per which the Japanese food major will invest approximately Rs 217 crore in poultry farming and egg processing, as a part of its Ise-Suzuki India Mega Project in Telangana, beginning next year. MoFPI will facilitate Ise Foods for the establishment of the aforesaid project in India.

Miyakoshi stated that two very important announcements, namely, the agreement on the form of phytosanitary measures on the marine food trade between India and Japan and the setting up of a Joint Working Group on Cold Chain between the two countries, were made.

Bahuguna stated that FSSAI was focusing on both food safety and the nutritional value of the food. He was of the view that Japanese foods were known for their safety as well as their nutritional value, and stated that Japanese food has slowly been introduced into India and efforts were being made to adapt it to Indian tastes.

Parag Gupta, joint secretary, MoFPI, said that the MoU with Ise Foods was a direct outcome of World Food India, which took place in New Delhi in November 2017. He was of the view that there was much more potential for Japanese companies to invest in India, given the fact that it had the technology and know-how in terms of food processing.

Speaking at the session, Rakesh Bharti Mittal, president designate, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), said, “Japan was the partner country at World Food India 2017, organised by Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), last year. CII was the national event partner.”

“This had effectively set in motion the transformatory process of the Indian food processing industry. The announcement of the food safety cooperation between Japan and India and the MoU with Ise Foods Inc are stepping stones in further strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two nations,” he added.

The event also witnessed the participation of Kazuya Nakajo, chief director general, JETRO New Delhi, and senior representatives of such companies as Ise Foods Inc, Mitsubishi Corporation India Private Ltd, Yakult Danone India Pvt Ltd and Tomato Private Limited.