FSSAI Implements Technology To Reinforce Food Safety Norms

FSSAI has been pulling out all the stops to ensure that the food safety standards in India are being met, and we’re grateful for that! Their latest venture is an IT platform for safety compliances to bring consistency and transparency in an inspection.

CEO, Pawan Agarwal, said “(FSSAI) will soon make it mandatory for all food businesses to employ a food safety supervisor. The move would be a game changer and reduce compliance burden.”

“We have started using technology in registration and licensing of the food business operators (FBOs). All our systems are IT-based,” he said, addressing a CII’s food safety, quality and regulatory summit.

He said the regulator has developed standardised testing methods and protocols for food products and launched IT enabled Indian Food Laboratory Network (INFoLNet).

All food labs, which are FSSAI notified, are submitting food testing reports online on this network, he added. “To reach scale, we need technology,” he said.

Testing Stage

Right now, FSSAI is testing a large-scale IT platform for Food Safety Compliance through Regular Inspections and Sampling (FoSCoRIS) in Madhya Pradesh and Goa which is being put in place for adoption across all States.”This will bring consistency and transparency in food safety inspection and sampling,” he said.

However, maintaining food safety in the unorganized sector is a challenge. “We organised training programme for street vendors but we need to continuously engage with them,” he added.