• Union Health Minister J.P.Nadda unveiled the logo and brochures of the Global Food Regulators Summit (GFRS) 2024 scheduled to be held from September 19-21 in New Delhi.

• It is being organised by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under the aegis of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, alongside the World Food India 2024 event being organised by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.

Purpose of the summit

• The food safety and regulatory ecosystem needs to be constantly adapted to the emerging food hazards, new technologies, pandemic scenarios and ever evolving consumer needs. 

• While there is evolution of food safety and regulatory framework across the globe, it is also extremely important to foster harmonisation of these policies to enable exchange of knowledge for building strategies to ensure safety and quality and provide safe food for all.

• The first edition of this summit was held in July 2023 in India as a co-branded event of G20.

• This strategic initiative aims to sustain the positive momentum generated by the first summit and address the evolving landscape of global food safety.

• The summit will create a global platform of food regulators to exchange perspectives on strengthening food safety systems and regulatory framework across the food value chain.

• Among those participating is the World Health Organisation (WHO), World Trade Organisation (WTO), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Codex Alimentarius Commission, The European Food Safety Authority and Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, USA.

• FSSAI will launch a new portal dedicated to ‘Food Import Rejection Alert’. It will also start a food import clearance system 2.0 aimed at streamlining import procedures and enhancing food safety standards.

• The FSSAI will also introduce State Food Safety Index 2024, which assesses the food safety performance of States and Union Territories.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)

• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been established under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 which consolidates various Acts and orders that have hitherto handled food related issues in various ministries and departments. 

• The FSSAI is a statutory body established under the ministry of health and family welfare.

• FSSAI was created for laying down scientific standards for food articles and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.

The main functions of FSSAI include:

i) Setting globally benchmarked regulations, standards and guidelines.

ii) Facilitating compliance through licensing, registration, inspection and improved laboratory network.

iii) Building capacity of regulatory staff as well as food business operators.

iv) Driving public health initiatives in the true spirit of convergence.

v) Leveraging IEC (Information, Education & Communication) and BCC (behaviour change communication) techniques to build a food safety culture.

vi) Embracing technology to streamline processes. 

vii) Forging strategic partnerships to generate and exchange knowledge and best practices.

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