Smart Regulation of Antibiotic Use in India Blog: Self-regulation of antibiotic use in poultry - the role of supermarkets
Thu 30 July 2020
In 2019, people consumed over 3.8 million metric tons of poultry meat across India, according to Statista. Most consumers prefer live and fresh chicken butchered before their eyes. Only about five per cent of poultry meat is sold in processed form (eg chilled and frozen products), of which only about one per cent undergoes processing into value-added products such as ready-to-eat/ready-to-cook, but the recent growth of supermarkets in India is supporting the growth in the retailing of chilled/frozen poultry products (see this 2017 report). These supermarkets include Big Bazaar, Reliance Fresh and Godrej Nature’s Basket. However, supermarkets account for a small percentage of the domestic grocery market. According to Statista, there were approximately 12.8 million grocery retailers across India in 2018, of which only 0.05 per cent were modern retailers (which include supermarkets and hypermarkets). At the same time, the market share of modern retailers is increasing.
How is this relevant for the regulation of antimicrobial resistance (AMR)? We know about the extensive use of antibiotics in the poultry industry. We also know that consumption of such poultry products could lead to the emergence of AMR in human beings. Already there are some reports about the presence of antibiotic residues in meat from supermarkets in India (see here and here). This means that supermarkets are a relevant actor for the regulation of antibiotic use in poultry products in India. Here it is useful to examine the antibiotic use practices of supermarkets in other jurisdictions. Unlike India, in Great Britain, ten supermarkets – Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Iceland, Lidl, M&S, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose together account for 95 per cent of the grocery market. The Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics, a pressure group made up of several NGOs, has conducted two assessments (in 2017 and 2019) of the publicly available antibiotics policies of these ten supermarkets to encourage openness and transparency in the food chain. The 2019 assessment found that although major differences between supermarkets remain, some of them are also making progress.
It would be useful to find out whether supermarkets in India have antibiotic use policies to influence their suppliers, and if they collect and share data on antibiotic use. The outcome of this exercise could signal the willingness or reluctance of supermarkets due to internal and external factors. A comprehensive examination of the situation could inform the design of new and implementation of existing binding legislation (such as the prohibition on over-the-counter sale of antibiotics without a prescription and the ban on the use of Colistin). Alternatively, the government could encourage self-regulation by the supermarkets that influences the behaviour of the suppliers, or the development of consumer awareness campaigns that influence demand for no or low antibiotic use. At the same time, we also need to consider strategies for regulating antibiotic use in poultry sold outside supermarkets.