Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is a statutory body under the administration of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. It regulates the manufacture, storage, distribution, sale, and import of food art torage, distribution, sale, and import of food articles, while also establishing standards to ensure food safety.[4] The FSSAI was established by the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which consolidated all former acts and orders related to food safety that were previously handled by various ministries and departments.[5][4] The FSSAI has its headquarters at New Delhi. The authority also has four regional offices located in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai.[6] There are 22 referral laboratories notified by FSSAI, 72 State/UT laboratories located throughout India and 112 laboratories are NABL accredited private laboratories notified by FSSAI.[7][8] The FSSAI is headed by a non-executive chairperson, appointed by the central government, either holding or has held the position of not below the rank of Secretary to the Government of India.[9] Shri Apurva Chandra is the current chairperson for FSSAI and Ganji Kamala V. Rao is the current chief executive officer for FSSAI.[10] The FSSAI provisions are enforced by Food Safety Officers. In 2021, with the aim of benefitting industries involved in manufacturing, handling, packaging and selling of food items, FSSAI decided to grant perpetual licenses to restaurants and food manufacturers on the condition that they file their returns every year.[11] Food Safety and Standards Authority of India License or Registration is required for any food business in India that manufactures, stores, transports, or distributes food. Depending on the size and nature of the company, FSSAI registration or license may be required. FSSAI was established on 5 September 2008 under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 which was operationalized in year 2006. The FSSAI consists of a chairperson and 22 members. The FSSAI is responsible for setting standards for food so that there is one body to deal with and no confusion in the minds of consumers, traders, manufacturers, and investors.[12][13] Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India is the Administrative Ministry of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.[14][15] The following are the statutory powers that the FSS Act, 2006 gives to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). ...view more