FSSAI in the process to set up food safety standards review panel

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said it is in the process of setting up a food safety standards review panel to identify gaps in the existing standards for safe and nutritious food against international standards.
“FSSAI has formulated a three-pronged strategy for ensuring safe and nutritious food for the 1.3 billion people in India. We are in the process of setting up a food safety standards review panel to identify gaps in existing standards for safe and nutritious food against international standards,” CEO, FSSAI, Pawan Kumar Agarwal was quoted by PTI as saying.
“FSSAI will also look at ensuring that these food safety standards are complied by stakeholders in the food business through third party auditing and food inspections,” he was further quoted by PTI as saying.
Inspections will become a norm as far as food safety is concerned, Agarwal said while speaking at a seminar ‘Surakshit Khadya Abhiyan’, a national mission on safe and nutritious food initiated by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Food & Agriculture Centre of Excellence (FACE).
FSSAI will also strengthen capacity building and training of food safety labs and master trainers in food safety standards, who can further train the stakeholders in the food value chain.
“Also, awareness will be created among consumers about food safety and nutritious foods, be it at home, schools, colleges, work place, street food, social and cultural centres,” Agarwal was quoted by PTI as saying.
Agarwal expressed optimism that India as a nation can address the food safety issues if we create a brand and work on it whole-heartedly in a collective manner.
Advocating a mass movement on food safety and nutritious food for all, he was quoted by PTI as saying, “For this, we have to build the right eco system in food safety.”
He also said that awareness should be created about fortified foods among consumers.
“FSSAI has set up standards in fortified foods also. Hence, to ensure nutritious food for all, fortified foods have to be encouraged in production and demand,” he was quoted by PTI as saying.