FSSAI was established on 5 September 2008 under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 which was operationalized in year 2006. The FSSAI consists of a chairperson and 22 members. The FSSAI is responsible for setting standards for food so that there is one body to deal with and no confusion in the minds of consumers, traders, manufacturers, and investors.1011 Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India is the Administrative Ministry of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.1213 The following are the statutory powers that the FSS Act, 2006 gives to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).14
FSSAI is located in 4 regions 15
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India is a statutory body under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The Food Safety and Standards Act (FSS), 2006 is the primary law for the regulation of food products. This act also sets up the formulation and enforcement of food safety standards in India. The FSSAI appoints food safety authorities on the state level.16
The FSSAI functions under the administrative control of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.17 The main aim of FSSAI is to
The FSS Act is a bucket for all the older laws, rules and regulations for food safety. The FSS Act took 7 older acts into one umbrella.
Departments24
FSSAI has set certain guidelines for food safety research. The Research and Development division is responsible for research with the following objectives:
FSSAI has been mandated to perform various functions related to the quality and standards of food and drinks . These functions in addition to others include "Laying down procedure and guidelines for notification of the accredited laboratories as per ISO17025."25 The FSSAI notified laboratories that are classified as:
Standards framed by FSSAI are prescribed under Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulation, 2011, Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulation, 2011 and Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins, and Residues) Regulations, 2011.
The FSSAI has prescribed standards for the following:
The development of standards is a dynamic process based on the latest developments in food science, food consumption pattern, new food products, and additives, changes in the processing technology leading to changed specifications, advancements in food analytical methods, and identification of new risks or other regulatory options.
Formulation of standards of any article of food under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, involves several stages. After consideration by the Food Authority, the draft standard is published (Draft notified), for inviting stakeholder comments. Since India is a signatory to the WTO-SPS Committee, Draft Standard is also notified in WTO. Thereafter, taking into account the comments received from the stakeholders, the Standard is finalized and notified in the Gazette of India, and implemented.30
Food Safety Officers are responsible for enforcing and executing the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 within their designated areas. The Commissioner of Food Safety and Designated Officer have the authority to exercise the same powers as Food Safety Officers.31
Food Safety Officers possess the right to enter and inspect any place where food articles are manufactured, stored, or exhibited for commercial purposes. They are authorized to collect samples for analysis by a Food Analyst. The authority of a Food Safety Officer to enter and inspect premises is equal to that of a police officer equipped with a search warrant under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).32 They can issue registrations to food business operators.33
Consumers can connect to FSSAI through various channels. A GAMA portal for concerns regarding misleading claims and advertisements too is operated.34
FSSAI issues three types of license based on the nature of the food business and turnover:
Other criteria like the location of the business, number of retail stores, etc. are needed while evaluating the nature of the license application.
In 2009 the FSSAI instigated a pilot project Safe Food, Tasty Food to improve the safety and quality of food being served at restaurants and other outlets, implementing agencies being local municipal authorities and industry associations (FICCI, CII, AIFPA and NRAI).35
The State Food Safety Index (SFSI), was developed in 2018 in collaboration with the FSSAI. The SFSI was created to motivate the States and Union Territories to improve their performance and work towards establishing an appropriate food safety ecosystem.36
According to a survey conducted over 24,000 people across 293 districts of India, 73% of the 12,308 responses indicated little to no confidence in the effectiveness of agencies such as FSSAI and state food regulators in ensuring food safety.37
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Section 5(3) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. ↩
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