The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) conducted its 45th Central Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting today, urging States and Union Territories to enhance food safety surveillance at popular tourist locations in anticipation of the peak season from November to March.
Given the influx of domestic and international tourists during this period, States/UTs were advised to deploy Food Safety on Wheels Mobile Labs at these destinations.
Shri G Kamala Vardhana Rao, CEO of FSSAI, called on State Food Commissioners to strengthen oversight on warehouses and other facilities used by e-commerce platforms. He also requested the issuance of SOPs for these warehouses and their delivery personnel.
States/UTs were directed to increase sampling for surveillance and to deploy Food Safety on Wheels mobile vans to support these efforts.
The committee also emphasized training Food Business Operators (FBOs) across all States/UTs under the Food Safety Training and Certification (FoSTaC) program to uphold food safety and hygiene standards. States/UTs were encouraged to train 2.5 million food handlers by March 2026, covering canteen staff in universities, colleges, and hostels.
The need for an integrated approach to food safety was highlighted, with a call for collaboration among all relevant ministries and stakeholders. States/UTs were encouraged to regularly hold Advisory Committee meetings at the State and District levels. Promoting the Eat Right India movement, the committee stressed engaging consumers in a culture of healthier eating. States were advised to expand food safety awareness through events like fairs, walkathons, and street plays (Nukkad Nataks).
More than 60 officials attended the meeting, including Commissioners of Food Safety, representatives from States/UTs, senior FSSAI officials, and members from the food industry, consumer groups, agriculture sector, laboratories, and research institutions.