Steps taken to strengthen food safety enforcement

What happened (announced measures to strengthen food safety enforcement)

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare stated in a Lok Sabha written reply that the Government is strengthening food safety enforcement across India using enhanced testing infrastructure, capacity building, regulatory oversight, and consumer awareness initiatives. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is mandated to lay down science-based food standards and regulate the manufacture, storage, distribution, sale, and import of food so that safe and wholesome food is available to consumers.

Background and earlier position (how enforcement works under the FSS Act, 2006)

Under the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006, implementation and enforcement are shared between the Central and State Governments. Since about 98% of Food Business Operators (FBOs) fall within the jurisdiction of State/UT Food Safety Authorities, enforcement under the Act and related regulations primarily rests with State/UT authorities. State/UT authorities conduct surveillance, monitoring, targeted enforcement drives, inspections, and sampling activities to check compliance with standards and statutory requirements.

What changed now (testing capacity, oversight reviews, and public-facing tools)

FSSAI announced steps to strengthen operational capacity and compliance support: - Regular reviews of performance and vacancies of Food Safety Officers of States/UTs through Central Advisory Committee (CAC) meetings and Inter-State Zonal Council Meetings. - A notified testing ecosystem for analysis of food samples and appeal samples, and a mobile testing approach for on-the-spot checks. - Consumer awareness campaigns and user-friendly tools aimed at identifying adulteration and improving label literacy.