FSSAI to adopt scientific methods for food safety evaluation

• With the advent of global food supply chains, there is a growing list of novel ingredients and food additives that need safety assessment
• The food regulator says there is an urgent need to drive improvements in efficiency and effectiveness of overall food system

New Delhi: Country’s apex food regulator the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is deliberating new scientific developments and emerging approaches for food safety evaluations in order to address food security related challenges in the country.

Given the triple challenges of food safety, food security and nutritional security faced by India, there is an urgent need to drive improvements in efficiency and effectiveness of overall food system, the FSSAI said on Friday.

“India faces major challenges where 1.3 billion population is vulnerable to both under nutrition and over nutrition whilst facing several food safety concerns. Food security and food safety are very much interdependent," said Rita Teaotia, Chairperson, FSSAI.

“There is a critical need to aggressively adopt and integrate new next generation scientific methods and concepts and leapfrog country capabilities soon as these will contribute to the objective of reducing crop losses and food waste and increasing access to safe food are achieved," she said.

With the advent of global food supply chains, there is a growing list of novel ingredients and food additives that need safety assessment.

As an endeavour to promote latest advances in food safety and food security, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Hindustan Unilever (HUL) Initiative on Food Safety Sciences (CHIFSS) in partnership with FSSAI organised its 6th Stakeholder Forum on “Scientific Advances in Food Safety and Food Security" on Friday.

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)- Indian Institute of Toxicology Research Director Alok Dhawan highlighted the critical importance of timely adoption of next generation science based, risk based, objective safety evaluation approaches, application of sensors and diagnostic techniques into regulatory frameworks to keep pace with developed world.

He also emphasized the need to focus on the origin of food supply chain, which will help deliver safe foods to the consumers.