The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has intensified its efforts to ensure the availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption. Established in 2008 under the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006, FSSAI focuses on setting science-based standards for food articles and regulating their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale, and import. The operationalization of this Act began on August 5, 2011, with the notification of Food Safety and Standards Rules and six principal regulations.
Regular surveillance, monitoring, inspection, and random sampling of food products are conducted across states and union territories to ensure compliance with quality and safety standards as outlined in the Act and its regulations. Penal provisions have been enforced against Food Business Operators found guilty of non-conforming food samples, with Pan-India surveillance prioritizing staple foods and commodities prone to adulteration.
FSSAI has established 243 primary laboratories and 22 referral laboratories nationwide for testing food commodities. Mobile food testing laboratories known as Food Safety on Wheels have been deployed, equipped with infrastructure to conduct on-the-spot testing for adulteration. Currently, 285 such units are operational across 35 states and union territories. The authority has also approved 79 rapid analytical food testing kits to accelerate field-level screening and monitoring. Food Safety Magic Boxes have been introduced to empower individuals with quick screening tests to detect food adulteration at home.
Guidelines for sanitary and hygienic requirements based on good manufacturing and hygienic practices are mandated under the Food Safety and Standards Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses Regulation of 2011. Violations attract punitive actions as per provisions of the Act. FSSAI has published 17 manuals on food analysis methods, two general sampling guidelines, and 15 methods for analyzing fortificants in fortified foods to support food safety practices.
These measures reflect FSSAI’s commitment to enhancing food safety standards and ensuring access to quality food products for consumers nationwide.
