India issued over 300 notifications since 2020 to promote food safety: Data

India has issued over 300 notifications since January 2020 to promote food safety, protect animals and plant health, and maintain the quality of products in the markets, according to the commerce ministry data.

These notifications are issued under Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT). Both are allowed under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules.

TBT and SPS are non-tariff measures (NTMs).

SPS is used by countries to set out basic rules for food safety and animal and plant health requirements.

On the other hand, TBT deals with voluntary and mandatory standards and procedures to maintain the quality of products in the markets. When these regulations impose an unnecessary burden on trade, then they become non-tariff barriers (NTBs).

The data showed that as many as 62 SPS and 247 TBT notifications were issued by India since January 2020.

Since the formation of the WTO in 1995, the number of these regulations stood at 330 (SPS) and 434 (TB