Union Minister of health and family welfare JP Nadda unveiled the logo and brochures of the Global Food Regulators Summit (GFRS) 2024 at Nirman Bhavan on 17 September. The Summit is being organized from 19 to 21 September at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under the aegis of the Ministry of health and family welfare, alongside the World Food India 2024 event being organized by the Ministry of food processing industries.
With the objective of introducing the world to rich Indian food culture as well as promoting investments in the diverse food processing sector of the country, the Ministry of food processing industries launched the first edition of World Food India in 2017. In view of celebrating 2023 as the International Year of Millets and to bring the global food processing industry together, the Ministry organized the second edition World Food India in 2023. This year there will be conferences with key stakeholders on food processing, packaging technologies, smart proteins, spirits, etc.
Underscoring the importance of food safety on the global stage, the Union Health Minister emphasized that “while food security has long been a focus of international efforts, food safety must be given equal priority to ensure the health and well-being of global populations”. He said that the Summit will create a global platform of food regulators to exchange perspectives on strengthening food safety systems and regulatory framework across the food value chain, a PIB release said.
Nadda stressed the need for continuous adaptation in the food safety and regulatory landscape to address emerging hazards, technological advancements, and shifting consumer demands, emphasizing the role of knowledge exchange in ensuring global food safety and quality.
“This is the second global food regulator summit with participation from 30 international organizations and over 70 countries, including food safety regulators and those from risk assessment authorities, research institutes and universities. There will be nearly 5,000 delegates at the summit and around 1.5 lakh people joining virtually. We will be discussing strategies and means of collaboration. The key issues of regulators will also be discussed”, he said.
Among those participating is the World Health Organization (WHO), World Trade Organization (WTO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Codex Alimentarius Commission, The European Food Safety Authority and Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, USA. The Secretariat of the Codex Alimentarius Commission will be represented by its chairperson, vice-chairperson and secretary. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general, WHO will address the event virtually.
National stakeholders including the department of commerce, Ministry of food processing (MoFPI), Ministry of consumer affairs, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), and Export Inspection Council (EIC), NABCB will participate in the summit highlighting India’s commitment to advancing food safety standards.
Nadda said “this will be the first time that a regional food regulators conference is being organized out of Rome and it is a proud moment for Bharat to be hosting it. The conclave is focused on enhancing regional collaboration in the standard-setting process within the Codex Alimentarius Commission. This will provide a dedicated platform for Asian countries to discuss food safety, trade, and regulatory challenges unique to the region.”
The Union health minister said that “GFRS 2.0 will focus on critical topics such as mitigation of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), regulation of health supplements and nutraceuticals, sustainable food packaging, ensuring food safety and nutrition for all, residue and contaminant monitoring systems, new age analysis in food testing, impact of animal feed on food safety and human health and sports and nutrition.” “The summit will help in building a cohesive network for ensuring food safety, in developing understanding for compliance, sharing best practices and in creating synergies with other countries towards ensuring food safety,” he said.
“Flavors of Shree Anna – Sehat aur Swaad Ke Sang,” a 13-episode show on Doordarshan promoting millet-based recipes to boost nutrition awareness will also debut at the event.
Key highlights of the summit include introduction of the State Food Safety Index (SFSI) 2024, which assesses the food safety performance of Indian States and Union Territories; conclave of CEOs from major food companies alongside senior government officials to discuss promoting ease of doing business; enhancing access to nutritious foods and improving food safety infrastructure and bilateral meetings with Bhutan, Argentina, New Zealand and Australia.
One of the most anticipated highlights of GFRS 2.0 is the launch of several innovative initiatives aimed at transforming food safety practices and information sharing. This includes the introduction of a new website dedicated to Food Import Rejection Alerts (FIRA) and the unveiling of Food Import Clearance System 2.0 (FICS 2.0). ‘FIRA’ is an online portal designed to share information on food import rejections at Indian borders. It serves the purpose of an online alert notification platform for both the general public and for the Food Safety Authority of relevant countries.
FICS 2.0, an advanced version of the Food Import Clearance System for faster processing and transparency, addresses the limitations of the earlier system by offering a complete online solution with new features, automation, and integration with other relevant portals. Additionally, the State Food Safety Index (SFSI) 2024, an annual report evaluating the food safety performance of Indian states and union territories, will be released at the summit.
The Global Food Regulators Summit 2024 will feature a diverse range of activities including keynote addresses by international organizations and scientists, technical and plenary sessions with food regulators, interactive sessions with national and international stakeholders and bilateral and multilateral meetings to address current and emerging challenges, providing opportunities for knowledge exchange and the development of harmonized approaches to food safety.
Apurva Chandra, secretary, Ministry of health and family welfare and chairperson, FSSAI; G Kamala Vardhana Rao, CEO, FSSAI; Nikhil Gajraj, joint secretary, Ministry of health and family Welfare; U S Dhyani, executive director, FSSAI and senior officials of the Union health ministry were present during the curtain raiser event.
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Naresh Khanna – 10 February 2025
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