Stickers on vegetables and fruits are not ensuring customers what they want

The stickers on vegetables and fruits stating they are 'export quality', 'best quality', or 'fresh' are quite common in shops and supermarkets. Often, many customers choose these commodities with confidence, considering the sticker an assurance of superior quality, certified by authorities. However, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) recently said that fruits and vegetables shouldn't be consumed with their sticker's adhesive residue still on them. The adhesive can pose health risks and isn't fit for consumption, according to the FSSAI warning on its social media page. 

In the international context, the use of stickers is quite common. It is an attempt to ensure easy access to product information and to trace its source. In India, however, traders apparently use stickers to make fruits or veggies look 'premium' or even to hide any defects or decay, says FSSAI. The safety of the adhesive used on these stickers is also often unknown. Therefore, it's safe for customers to carefully check product quality before buying, rather than blindly trusting a sticker. 

Here are a few steps, according to FSSAI, to ensure product quality.
a) Remove the stickers, peel the skin or cut the areas on which the stickers were applied, before consuming the vegetable or fruit.
b) Wash the product well before consumption
c) Check whether the adhesive residue is present on any part of the fruit or vegetable before consuming it.
d) Be aware that in India, stickers generally used by traders don't have any relevant information or traceability, unlike in the international scenario.