Duties and Functions of Food Authority of India

Ashish M. Shaji

18 Feb, 2021

Indian food is renowned for its taste and variety. To ensure that this food is made available for human consumption, the food authority of India has been established, which regulates and governs the food businesses across India. The food authority of India has numerous duties as well as functions that it should perform in order to serve the people better. In this article, we shall look at these duties and functions of food authority of India as laid down in Food Safety and Standards Act.

What do you mean by the Food Authority of India (FSSAI)?

The Food authority in India is FSSAI. FSSAI stands for Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. It is an autonomous statutory body that primarily maintains food safety and standards in India. It comes under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The body is functioning as per the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006. FSSAI is also responsible for issuing food licenses such as FSSAI Registration/State License/Central License.

What is FSSAI Act 2006?

The Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006 is an act that consolidates the laws pertaining to the food, and it provides for the establishment of FSSAI for laying down science based standards for food articles to regulate its manufacture, distribution, storage, sale, and import, to make sure that safe as well as wholesome food is available for human consumption.

Duties and Functions of Food Authority of India

Section 16 of the FSS Act 2006^[1] lays down the duties and functions of Food Authority of India. The main duty of food authority is to regulate and monitor the manufacture, processing, sale, and import of food.  Let’s discuss them more extensively.

The food authority may by regulations specify:

• The standards and guidelines pertaining to the food articles and specify an appropriate system for enforcement of various standards provided under the Act. 
• The limits for using food additives, crop contaminants, pesticide residues, heavy metals, processing aids, residues of veterinary drugs, antibiotics, and such other substances.
•  The mechanisms and guidelines for the accreditation of certification bodies engaged in food safety management systems certification.
• The procedure and quality control enforcement relating to any food article imported into India.
• The procedure and guidelines for the accreditation of laboratories and notification of such laboratories.
• The method of sampling, analysis, and information exchange among the enforcement authorities.
• Conduct survey of enforcement and administration of the FSS Act in India.
• Food labelling standards.
• The way in which risk analysis, risk assessment, risk communication, and risk management will be undertaken. 

Functions of Food Authority of India-

The food authority shall:

• Provide scientific advice as well as technical support to the Government, both Central and State, in matter pertaining to framing of policy and rules in areas which have direct or an indirect bearing on food safety and nutrition;
• Search, collect, analyse and summarise relevant scientific as well as technical data relating particularly to-

1. Consumption of food and exposure of individuals to risks relating to the food consumption;
2. Incidence and prevalence of biological risk;
3. Contaminants in food;
4. Residues of various contaminants;
5. Emerging risks identification;
6. And introduction of rapid alert system.

• Promote as well as co-ordinate and issue guidelines for developing risk assessment methodologies. Further monitor and conduct and forward messages on health and nutritional risks of food to the Central and State government and Food Safety Commissioner.
• Provide technical and scientific advice plus assistance to the Central and State governments in implementing crisis management procedures with respect to food safety. Further, draw up a plan for crisis management and work in co-operation with crisis unit formed by the Central government.
• Establish a system of network of organizations with a view to facilitate a scientific co-operation framework by the co-ordination of activities, the development and implementation of joint projects, the exchange of information, the exchange of expertise, and best practices in the fields under the food authority’s responsibility.
•  Provide scientific and technical help to the Central as well as State government for bringing improvement in co-operation with International organizations.  
• Take steps to ensure that the public, consumers, interested parties, and levels of panchayats get rapid, reliable, objective, and comprehensive information via appropriate methods and means.
• Provide, if within or outside their area, training programmes in food safety and standards for people who intend to become involved in food businesses, whether as FBOs or as employees, or otherwise.
• Undertake any other task assigned by the Central government to fulfill the objectives of this Act.
• Contribute to the international technical standards development for food, sanitary and phyto-sanitary standards.
• Contribute, whether relevant and appropriate, for the development of the agreement on recognition of the equivalence of specific food related measures.
• Promote co-ordination of work on food standard undertaken by the international governmental organizations and non-governmental organizations.
• Promote consistency among international technical standards and domestic food standards. Also, ensuring that the protection level adopted in the country is not reduced.
• Promote general awareness towards food safety.

It may be noted that another crucial duty and functions of food authority of India is to make it public the opinions of the scientific committee and the scientific panel straight after adoption, the annual declarations of interests made by the Food authority members and declare interests, if any, made in relation to items on the meetings agendas. It shall also disclose the results of its scientific studies and the annual report of its activities.

Conclusion

Among the functions of food authority of India, it is required to give directions to the Food Safety Commissioner on matters relating to food safety and standards. He shall be bound by such directions while exercising his powers under the Act. The food authority cannot disclose or cause to be disclosed confidential information to third parties. Such information could have been received by it on the promise of confidential treatment. However, if circumstances so require, information can be made public.

Read our article:Fees for Food License/Registration