India
FSSAI Orders Intensified Food Safety Checks Ahead of Festive Season
By Stuti Gupta
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed food safety authorities across all states and union territories to increase surveillance and enforcement of unsafe food products in preparation for the upcoming festive season. The directive calls for heightened inspections and strict action to prevent the circulation of adulterated, counterfeited and unsafe food items. Regional agencies are also asked to broaden the list of targeted commodities to reflect local eating and consumption patterns.
Enforcement officials, including Designated Officers, Food Safety Officers and Central Food Safety Officers, will be deployed by their respective commissioners to conduct inspections and sampling during the festive period. Food hot spots and other sensitive locations will receive special focus.
The order also mandates the strategic deployment of Food Safety on Wheels (FSWs), a mobile laboratory for food testing, in prominent market areas. This initiative aims to enable on‑spot testing of food safety norms, strengthen hygiene vigilance and boost consumer confidence amid high demand.
All inspection, sampling and outcome data must be uploaded or recorded on FoSCoS/FoSCoRIS in real‑time, the notice states.
The directive follows recent crackdowns by the FSSAI, including the ban on Nestle’s “Low Fat Dairy Whitener” after a sample from The Lalit hotel in New Delhi was found unsafe and substandard, and the shutdown of a food vending unit in Govindpura, Manimajra for operating in unhygienic conditions without FSSAI registration.
The FSSAI’s latest order is part of a series of measures to enforce compliance with food safety norms ahead of the festive season.
Frequently asked questions
What measures has FSSAI ordered to ensure food safety during the festive season?
FSSAI has directed all state and union territory food safety authorities to increase surveillance, conduct heightened inspections, deploy enforcement officials, focus on food hot spots, broaden targeted commodities, deploy Food Safety on Wheels mobile labs for on‑spot testing, and upload all inspection data to FoSCoS/FoSCoRIS in real‑time.
What recent actions has FSSAI taken against unsafe food products?
FSSAI banned Nestle’s “Low Fat Dairy Whitener” after a sample from The Lalit hotel in New Delhi was found unsafe and substandard, and shut down a food vending unit in Govindpura, Manimajra for operating unhygienically without FSSAI registration.