Provision: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is a statutory body formed under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and operates under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

About Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)

• FSSAI Full Form: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
• Setting Up: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India FSSAI came into existence on 5 September 2008 under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 which was operationalized in 2006.
  • The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 consolidated all former acts and orders related to food safety. 
  • The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 replaced acts like Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, Fruit Products Order, 1955, Meat Food Products Order, 1973.
  • Vegetable Oil Products (Control) Order, 1947, Edible Oils Packaging (Regulation) Order 1988, Solvent Extracted Oil, Milk and Milk Products Order, 1992, De- Oiled Meal and Edible Flour (Control) Order, 1967  also ceased to exist.
• Mandate: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has the mandate of regulating the manufacture, storage, distribution, sale, and import of food articles, and also establishing standards to ensure food safety.
• Key Objectives of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI):
  • Set standards of food products
  • Develop safe food practices
  • Ensure compliance through inspections
  • Train and build capacity
  • Test food for standards
  • License food businesses
  • Citizens Outreach

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India: Structure and Organization

• Members: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India is made up of 22 members and a chairperson. One-third of the members must be women.
  • The chairperson of FSSAI is appointed by the central government, and he must have held the position of not below the rank of Secretary to the Government of India.
  • The FSSAI also includes a team of scientists and researchers for the testing of food quality. There are also separate committees and panels consisting of experts from scientific backgrounds.
• Location: The location of FSSAI is located in New Delhi. It has 4 regional offices located in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai. 

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India: Powers 

• Setting Food Safety Standards: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has the power to lay down regulations to implement food safety standards in the country.
• Food testing Accreditation: FSSAI has powers to set up guidelines for accreditation of laboratories for food testing in the country.
• Inspecting Powers: Food safety officers have the right to enter and inspect any place where food products are manufactured, stored, or exhibited. 

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India: Functions

• Food Safety Research: The Research and Development division of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is responsible for research in the field of food safety standards. They continuously try to adopt international food standards. 
• Quality Assurance: The FSSAI has been mandated to perform various functions related to setting up of quality and standards of food and drinks. 
• Scientific Advice in Food Matters: The FSSAI provides scientific advice and technical support to the Central Government in terms of food matters.
• Identifying Threats: The FSSAI is required to collect data regarding food consumption, contamination, emerging risks, etc.
• Promoting Food Safety Information: The FSSAI has to promote awareness about food safety and nutrition in India.
• Training Individuals: The FSSAI is required to train people who are involved or intend to get involved in food businesses.
• Regular Inspection: The FSSAI is required to inspect food-producing and manufacturing companies regularly to ensure the standards are at par with the guidelines.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India: Criticism

• Updating Standards: Since standards are a dynamic process based on the latest developments in food science and food consumption pattern, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India needs to keep updating its guidelines.
• Time-consuming process: The process of formulating standards for food products under Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 is a time-consuming process.
• Shortage of Manpower: The FSSAI needs to have a pool of qualified manpower to test and approve the standards of food being manufactured.
• Improving Technology: The FSSAI has inadequate access to funds to obtain advanced technologies for food testing.
• Lack of Infrastructure: There are inadequate food testing labs under FSSAI, making the process of food standardization difficult to implement.
• Difference of Opinion with Other Stakeholders: The FSSAI and the food processing ministry have differences of opinion regarding food standards.
• Lack of Proper Scrutiny: The FSSAI is found to have issued licenses on the basis of incomplete documents in more than 50 per cent of cases.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India: Initiatives 

• State Food Safety Index (SFSI): It was developed in 2018 to motivate the States and Union Territories to enhance their performance and work towards establishing an appropriate food safety ecosystem.
• Eat Right India: With the Eat Right India campaign, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India not just provides food to one and all, but also seeks to provide quality food to everyone. 
  • FSSAI has developed this campaign with the intention to make good quality food accessible to every citizen of the country.
• Save Food, Share Food, Share Joy: The intention has been designed with an intention of avoiding food wastage and promoting food donation. 
  • The campaign aims to bring together food-collecting agencies and the food-producing companies so that they can share the food with the ones in need.
• Heart Attack Rewind: It is a mass media campaign of FSSAI to support FSSAI’s target of eliminating trans fat in India by the year 2022. 
• Clean Street Food: The campaign has been initiated with the intention of training the street food vendors and making them aware of the violations as per the FSS Act 2006.

Way Forward

• Better Enforcement: Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has to conduct a detailed survey of food business activity under their jurisdiction to ensure better enforcement and administration of food standards.
• Improving Infrastructure: Developing infrastructure such as food safety labs will help in tackling the issue of food adulteration in India.
• Public Awareness: There is a need to spread awareness on the importance of food safety in India. It will also help in improving nutritional standards in the country.