• Does India have the necessary infrastructure?

For labels to be effective, tests would have to be conducted for allergens, potential toxicity, nutritional composition. So far India has no lab that can actually do large-scale testing for food with low GM traces.

• Will it be possible under the new authority under the new Food Act?

The Act will establish the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSA), which would lay down scientific standards of food safety. The FSSA would be assisted by a central advisory committee, a scientific committee and a number of scientific panels in specifying standards.

• Why the delay?

After the bill was passed by Parliament in August last year, there has been turf war between two ministries for the control of the authority: The ministry of health and family welfare versus the ministry of food processing. A committee under R.A. Mashelkar suggested that it should go to the ministry of health. Since then, the government has not been able to appoint a chairman and members of the authority. And since the authority is not in place, the rules are not in place either.