FSSAI Announces the Initiatives to Promote Safe Food Culture

India: In order to promote and create the culture of food safety in India, FSSAI has announced some initiatives to promote safe food at schools, homes, common eateries, cafeterias restaurants, railway stations, trains and religious places. Apart from this, the FSSAI is conducting nationwide survey for assessing the quality of milk. Celebrating 10th anniversary of the enactment of Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, FSSAI is planning to launch ten new initiatives which aims at connecting people of all the age groups ensuring food safety through an integrated approach.

Under its initiative FSSAI will circulate a green book for every household and also a dedicated website promoting nutritious and safe food at home. Likewise, for schools, it will prepare a negative list of high sugar, fat and salt foods which is commonly known as junk food for ensuring food nutrition and safety in schools and nearby areas, including canteens and even the lunch boxes. Further, the FSSAI is planning to make a regulatory license which will be applicable on food businesses that are involved in providing mid-day meals for the schools.

For offices, the cafeterias and canteens should be licensed/registered with the food regulator and the establishment will also ensure testing on monthly basis of kitchens, equipment and water. For religious places, FSSAI will collaborate with the management authorities and will implement the Food Safety Management System (FSMS). Shirdi’s famous Saibaba temple has started the FSMS process in their kitchens and Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai has already adopted FSMS.

The states would be implementing the initiatives on pilot basis in the coming months and after that, national roll out of the initiatives would be done by next year. FSSAI has also initiated steps to conduct national milk quality survey and will also frame some standards for food fortification. Further, it will simplify the licensing and registration regulations. A food safety display board which will create awareness & a direct link between consumers & the food safety officers. 12 corporates including BurgerKing, Mother Dairy, Starbucks, Haldiram’s, among others, have already agreed to display this board at their 1,300 outlets.