Jul 25, 2024 09:05 PM IST
FSSAI has significantly transformed India’s food safety landscape over the past decade and is working to adapt to emerging challenges and empower consumers
As I visited the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) office after assuming charge of the ministry of health and family welfare for the second time in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime, I was reminded of my initial tenure as health minister in 2014. Then in its nascent phase, FSSAI was striving to establish itself as the country’s food safety regulator, tasked with the massive responsibility of setting standards and policies for food products consumed by the world’s largest population.
The first time I met the FSSAI team and various stakeholders at an event marking a decade of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (on August 22, 2016), FSSAI’s vision was clear — to strengthen policies, address emerging challenges, and initiate programmes to foster social and behavioural change among citizens and food businesses. These initiatives have merged beautifully under the Eat Right India movement, which has a holistic approach on ensuring safe, healthy, and sustainable food for all Indians.
A strong food safety ecosystem can only be built on the foundation of strong food policies and standards. It is heartening to know that FSSAI’s scientific panels and expert committees have expanded significantly, comprising 286 experts from 88 organisations. This has significantly expedited the pace of development of standards and policies that are on a par with the global standards.
A commendable achievement of FSSAI is the creation of the millet standards, which were launched by the Prime Minister (PM) at the Global Millets (Shree Anna) Conference in 2023. These standards have been shared with the Codex Alimentarius Commission, paving the way for global standards on millets, establishing India as a pioneer.
Apart from development of policies and standards, their enforcement and testing are equally essential to ensure safe food. FSSAI’s food testing infrastructure has seen significant improvements over the past eight years. Under the PM’s leadership, the Cabinet approved ₹482 crore for strengthening state food-testing laboratories. FSSAI has further started reaching out to remote areas by providing mobile food labs named “Food Safety on Wheels”.
As we celebrate these achievements, we must also acknowledge trends emerging globally such as plant-based proteins, and lab-grown meat. FSSAI has proactively developed standards for new categories such as vegan foods, organic products, and Ayurvedic aahaar and is continuously adapting to the evolving trends of food safety.
As global food trade expands, FSSAI is forging stronger international partnerships by engaging with global regulators at various platforms such as Codex, which enables sharing of best practices and developing harmonised approaches to ensure safe, nutritious food and food security for the growing world population. FSSAI also organised the first Global Food Regulators Summit (GFRS) in Delhi in 2023, a first-of-its-kind collaborative platform for food regulators to meet and brainstorm about emerging food safety challenges. FSSAI is geared up for the second edition of GFRS in the coming months.
It is important to empower consumers and citizens on various food safety issues through evidence-based information. It is only then that our work will be completed. This is where FSSAI’s Eat Right India movement is playing a crucial role by ensuring that vital information reaches consumers at every level. This transformative programme is being scaled up to strengthen our outreach further and foster behavioural changes that empower consumers to demand safe and healthy food choices, encouraging businesses to offer better options.
The 2006 Act mandates comprehensive standards for food products, ensuring they are safe for consumption. In addition, the regulations for food labelling empowers consumer to make informed choices. Policies for advertisement and claims ensure that no misleading claims are being made by the food businesses on the food products. The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 has been instrumental in addressing the modern challenges faced by consumers by providing them with adequate mechanisms to file complaints, especially concerning misleading advertisements, unsafe or substandard food.
Food safety is a collaborative endeavour, and FSSAI is working closely with various government departments and other stakeholders, taking whole-of-government and whole-of-system approaches. FSSAI is also taking a proactive lead and adopting a collaborative approach by making industry and other stakeholders a partner in food safety and health initiatives.
FSSAI has significantly transformed India’s food safety landscape over the past decade and is working to adapt to emerging challenges and empower consumers. Through dedication and a holistic approach, FSSAI aims to make India a global leader not just in food production, but also in food safety and sustainability.
JP Nadda is Union minister of health and family welfare.The views expressed are personal
