The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is preparing draft regulations that may extend its purview to water supplied by municipalities and food cooked in places of worship.
"The central consumer council has suggested water served by municipalities be brought under a nodal agency. We are incorporating these recommendations," said Pawan Kumar Agarwal, chief executive officer, FSSAI.
The FSSAI is also planning to set up at least 100 corporate training centres by 2019 to provide training and certification programmes, and improve consumer awareness.
During last year's crisis over Maggi instant noodles, lack of coordination between the FSSAI and state Food and Drug Administration units was a concern. The FSSAI is in talks with state authorities to plug the holes.
"We are revisiting regulations on licensing and inspection. Issues related to local food vendors, for example, should be addressed by local authorities. We need to align our efforts so that safety of food at large can be achieved," Agarwal said. The FSSAI will issue guidelines for regulating local vendors soon.
Nestle India had argued that carcinogenic chemicals in Maggi noodles like monosodium glutamate may have been present in ingredients sourced from the farm. To address the issue, the FSSAI is in talks with the agriculture ministry so that farm produce is tested in wholesale markets.
"Traders want to stay out of the purview of the Food Safety and Standards Act. We are in talks with the agriculture ministry to sort out the issue," Agarwal said.
The FSSAI will soon come out with a new set of guidelines for instant noodles and pasta.
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