Article Title: Maintaining India’s progress in Food Safety Standards
08-06-2025
Economy Current Affairs Analysis
Context
• This year, the theme of World Food Safety Day, which is observed on June 7, is “Food Safety: Science in Action”.
• India’s journey on food safety began with the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act of 1954, which viewed food safety as a simple, binary issue — food being adulterated or not.
• This approach treated all contaminants alike, whether they were intentionally added adulterants, food additives, pesticide residues, veterinary drug residues, or even naturally occurring toxins.
• The quantity consumed was not considered.
• The turning point was the enactment of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which established the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
• FSSAI is an autonomous statutory body established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, of 2006.
• The Act of 2006, consolidates various laws related to food, such as the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, the Fruit Products Order, 1955, the Meat Food Products Order, 1973, and other acts that were previously handled by different ministries and departments.
• The Act also aims to establish a single reference point for all matters relating to food safety and standards, by moving from multi-level, multi-departmental control to a single line of command.
• FSSAI is responsible for protecting and promoting public health by regulating and supervising food safety and quality in India, operating under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
• FSSAI has a headquarters in New Delhi and regional offices in eight zones across the country.
• The Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of FSSAI, appointed by central government. The Chairperson is in the rank of Secretary to the Government of India.
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