How can consumers, NGOs and other institutions associate in food safety?

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been established to lay down science based standards for articles of food and ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption. Under Article 16 of the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), the Authority will conduct surveys of enforcement and administration of the Act in various parts of the country, search, collect and analyse relevant information relating to food consumption and exposure of individuals risks, incidence and prevalence of biological risk, contaminants in food, residues of various contaminants etc.
The Authority is also expected to promote and issue guidelines for development of risk assessment methodologies and forward messages on health and nutritional risks to the stakeholders. Among its mandates is the task of establishing a network of information and best practices in food safety. Authority proposes to ensure that public, consumers and other stakeholders receive comprehensive information regarding food safety periodically.
An important and critical stakeholder in food safety is the consumer who is directly impacted by the safety of food in the country. It is necessary for the Authority to devise mechanisms for associating the consumer in the development of standards as well as apprising him of the emerging trends in food safety so that consumer concerns are appropriately reflected in the food safety system in the country. Keeping the above in view, the following scheme is notified by the Authority for inviting and processing proposals from consumer organisations, citizen groups, educational institutions and research institutions. These do not include research proposals for which a scheme has been developed separately.
Eligible organisations
Eligibility under the scheme will be for non-governmental organisations, schools and colleges, voluntary organisations, and government-supported institutions having at least three years experience in the food safety related field.
List of areas
The following is a list of areas in respect of which proposals are invited by the Authority:
i. Disseminate the information conveyed in food labels and enable consumers to obtain information from labels.
ii. Capacity building and skill enhancement of small food business operators, street vendors or any other registered/licensed food vendor.
iii. Innovative projects which involve the community in promoting food safety practices, raising hygiene levels etc.
iv. Encouraging testing of key food and food ingredients, testing of water quality and safety as well as presence of contaminants in commonly consumed food items.
v. Surveying and profiling levels of hygiene and safety in food businesses, households and food distribution units at panchayat, municipal and other levels.
vi. Disseminate food safety messages among children, housewives and others.
vii. Food Authority will also encourage proposals to develop communication material for disseminating the food safety messages of relevance to the consumers.
How to apply
An initial concept note of about three pages should be submitted to the Authority, outlining the proposed work, the contents and how the project will be executed along with deliverables. After approval of concept, the detailed proposal should be submitted. See www.fssai.gov.in for more information.
Processing of the proposal
The concept paper will be examined in the Authority by an expert committee involving internal and external experts and applicant will be informed within a period of 30 days whether the concept is approved or not in view of its relevance under the mandate of the Authority and usefulness for promoting food safety. After approval of the concept, the applicant would be expected to submit the full proposal within a period of 2 months. The complete proposal will be considered by the Authority and a view taken within one month of receipt of proposal. The Authority may at its discretion consult such other organisation or agencies or State Food Safety Commissioner(s) as considered necessary and time taken in such consultation will not be counted for the purpose of one month limit mentioned earlier. The State Food Safety Commissioner concerned will be kept informed of any project sanctioned in that State.
Time frame
The scheme will cover projects to be executed normally within a period of six months or less.
Financial assistance pattern
The limit of financial assistance would be Rs.2 lakhs subject to appraised/actual cost of the project, whichever is less in each case will be extended. FSSAI will not release any advance amount for execution of the project; the financial assistance will be disbursed only after completion of the project, submission of income-expenditure statement duly certified by CA, final report and feedback from the target group.