The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has reinforced its efforts to ensure the availability of safe and wholesome food across the country through extensive surveillance, testing, and modernization initiatives, Union minister of state for health and family welfare Prataprao Jadhav in the told the Rajya Sabha.
FSSAI, established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, is mandated to lay down science-based standards for food articles and regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale, and import. The implementation of the Act is a joint responsibility shared between the central and state governments, with FSSAI setting standards and providing coordination, while State Food Safety Authorities handle field-level enforcement.
To ensure compliance with statutory requirements under the Food Safety and Standards Regulations (FSSR), FSSAI conducts regular enforcement and surveillance drives through its regional offices and State/UT food safety authorities. These targeted programs focus on staple foods and commodities susceptible to adulteration, helping gather critical data for food safety monitoring, risk assessment, and standards formulation.
Currently, 246 laboratories accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) are notified for food sample testing. Additionally, 24 referral food laboratories, primarily managed by central government institutions, are designated for appellate sample analysis.
To further strengthen testing infrastructure, FSSAI has extended technical and financial support to states and union territories under the scheme ‘Strengthening of Food Testing System in the Country Including Provision of Mobile Food Testing Labs’ (SoFTeL).
Through this initiative, 47 state food testing laboratories have been upgraded, 34 microbiology labs established, and 305 mobile food testing laboratories (MFTLs) deployed nationwide. The MFTLs are instrumental in conducting on-the-spot testing in remote regions with limited laboratory access.
Officials noted that a total of 541 MFTLs are planned for deployment under FSSAI funding, underscoring the government’s commitment to ensuring food quality and safety for all citizens.
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Naresh Khanna – 10 February 2025
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