According to officials familiar with the matter, India’s food regulatory authority is gearing up to take strong action against adulterators. As the consumption of processed food rises in people’s diets, the regulator is planning to enhance regulations and increase awareness to tackle this issue effectively.
“Eating habits have changed over the years. Several new food items and additives have been introduced and there are newer technologies in the food industry, all of which call for updating our regulatory requirements,” a government official said, requesting anonymity.
Lately, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been carrying out unannounced inspections nationwide, aiming to tackle the issue of food adulteration.
“There was a food regulators summit held recently that was another step in this direction, meant to look for ways in which regulators can act to make the whole food safety ecosystem better,” the official said.
The FSSAI hosted a two-day Global Food Regulators Summit 2023 in the national capital, marking a significant milestone for India. This momentous event focused on addressing global food safety challenges and exploring regulatory frameworks. Suman Berry, the vice-chairman at NITI Aayog, the government’s think tank, emphasized the summit’s pivotal role in fostering international cooperation to ensure food safety on a global scale.
“Adulteration of food is a serious problem affecting the fabric of society, and the complexity of India’s food landscape poses significant challenges which needs to be addressed,” Berry said. “Collaborative work between the government, industries and other stakeholders are crucial to realize this endeavour. There is also a need for empowering consumers through awareness campaigns and promoting safe hygiene practices to reduce the risk of food- borne illness.”
The regulator has recently introduced a new initiative known as the Indian Food-o-Copoeia, modeled after the Indian pharmacopoeia. Similar to the pharmacopoeia, which encompasses details about all drugs and their formulations manufactured, imported, and distributed in the nation, the Food-o-Copoeia will contain comprehensive information regarding all food and related products produced, imported, and sold in India.
“It is a collection of all food safety and standards regulations for each food category as a monograph. The document is uploaded on the website for everyone to access. This will be of great use to the industry but common people would also be able to access it,” said G Kamala Vardhana Rao, chief executive officer at FSSAI. “Our teams have been working for the past six months to collate relevant data and put together this document.”
The document shall undergo regular updates, ensuring the provision of current information about food items.
In addition to the Food-o-Copoeia, the regulatory body has introduced both a common digital dashboard and food authority directories. The common digital dashboard serves as an integrated IT portal, offering a centralized registry of food-related regulations and standards pertaining to food products and services across the nation.
The overarching objective is to foster collaboration among regulators, with a focus on enhancing food safety systems and regulatory frameworks.
“Considering the evolving landscape of emerging food hazards, new technologies and changing consumer needs, the aim is to develop a cohesive approach on food safety policy frameworks,” said Rao.
The regulator also is focusing on other critical areas such as antimicrobial resistance; animal feed and nutrition on safety and its impact on the food chain; and innovation in food emergency response, recall and analysis.
“As different geographical regions are characterised by agro-climatic diversities, no one standard could be applicable to food safety protocols,” health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said at the inaugural session of the summit. “We need to explore how regional diversities can be factored into global best practices.”