Thought For Food: State Orders Google, Facebook To Remove ‘Fake’ Content Regarding Quality Of Indian Eatables

The Government of India has ordered Google and Facebook to remove ‘false and malicious’ content from their platforms since they spread misinformation regarding food quality and safety in India, thus undermining public confidence in official institutions that rate them, reports Times of India.

The IT Ministry issued notice to the global giants to take down such content immediately. The order comes after a complaint given to IT secretary Ajay Prakash Sawhney by the CEO of Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) Pawan Agarwal. The Ministry also told the companies to create a system which prevents uploading of such content. The FSSAI suggested the appointment of a nodal officer so for a direct solution of the issue.

A note written by the Ministry pointed out certain fake scares like “plastic rice” and “plastic eggs”. One particular fake viral video pointed out the presence of melamine in milk, FSSAI ‘sanction’ for the same.

The false content on food safety has created fear in the minds of the public and eroded their confidence in food control systems, says FSSAI.

Agarwal said that “.. such false propaganda is neither good for citizens nor the food business. This also erodes global trust in our food system and food businesses, and potentially has far-reaching public health, social and trade implications."