During the 49th Central Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting in Gangtok, FSSAI CEO Shri Rajit Punhani urged States and Union Territories to strengthen food safety enforcement through risk-based inspections and surveillance of high-risk commodities such as milk, edible oils, spices, and honey. States were also advised to expedite the recruitment of Food Safety Officers and strengthen consumer grievance redressal mechanisms.
At the 49th meeting of the Central Advisory Committee (CAC) held in Gangtok, Sikkim, the CEO of FSSAI, Shri Rajit Punhani, called on States and Union Territories to intensify enforcement actions against high-risk food commodities.
Key points include:
- Emphasis on risk-based inspections and targeted surveillance for priority categories, including milk and milk products, edible oils, spices, and honey, where adulteration risks are higher.
- States to conduct special enforcement drives and take visible action against non-compliant Food Business Operators (FBOs) while regularly reporting enforcement outcomes.
- Stressed the importance of strengthening the food safety workforce, urging States to expedite recruitment of Food Safety Officers and technical personnel to improve inspection coverage.
- The meeting further discussed improving data-driven surveillance, centralised monitoring systems, and efficient consumer grievance redressal.
The CAC meeting reaffirmed collaborative efforts between FSSAI and State authorities to build a stronger and more transparent food safety ecosystem.