The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed states and Union Territories to promptly fill vacant positions of Food Safety Officers (FSOs) and Designated Officers (DOs) to strengthen regulatory enforcement and ensure the availability of safe food for consumers across the country.
The directive was issued by FSSAI Chief Executive Officer Rajit Punhani during the 50th meeting of the Central Advisory Committee (CAC) held in Shimla. He emphasized that strengthening field-level regulatory capacity is essential for improving food safety standards and ensuring effective enforcement.
Punhani called on states and UTs to intensify enforcement activities by increasing food sampling, surveillance, inspections, and monitoring efforts. He also stressed the importance of expanding public awareness campaigns and enhancing grassroots outreach to educate consumers and food businesses about food safety practices.
During the meeting, the committee reviewed the performance of states and UTs on key parameters, including staffing levels, functioning of advisory committees, food safety inspections, surveillance sampling, regulatory reporting, and timely resolution of consumer complaints. States were advised to address identified gaps and achieve prescribed targets within stipulated timelines.
The committee also discussed strengthening food recall systems through the newly operational Food Recall Module on the Food Safety Compliance System (FoSCoS). States and UTs were urged to sensitise Food Business Operators (FBOs) about timely reporting and effective implementation of food recall procedures for unsafe products.
Other issues deliberated during the meeting included streamlining licensing and registration processes, reducing application backlogs, improving regulatory compliance among FBOs, enforcing labelling norms for nutraceuticals and health supplements, tackling misleading food advertisements, and promoting sustainable packaging practices in the food sector.
