The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has asked states and Union Territories to expedite the recruitment of key food safety personnel and strengthen enforcement activities to ensure safer food for consumers across the country.

The directive was issued by FSSAI CEO Rajit Punhani during the 50th meeting of the Central Advisory Committee (CAC) held in Shimla. He urged states and UTs to fill existing vacancies for Food Safety Officers (FSOs) and Designated Officers (DOs) at the earliest to improve regulatory capacity and enhance food safety enforcement at the ground level.

Highlighting the importance of effective enforcement, Punhani stressed that strong regulatory action remains essential for safeguarding consumer health. He also directed states and UTs to increase food sampling, strengthen surveillance activities, and scale up enforcement efforts across their respective jurisdictions.

In addition to enforcement, the CEO called for greater public awareness initiatives and stronger outreach programmes to improve food safety awareness among consumers and stakeholders.

During the meeting, the committee reviewed the performance of states and UTs across several key parameters, including recruitment progress, functioning of state and district advisory committees, food safety inspections, surveillance sampling, regulatory reporting, and timely resolution of consumer complaints. States and UTs were advised to address gaps identified during the review and work towards achieving prescribed targets within stipulated timelines.

The committee also discussed ways to improve food recall systems through the recently operationalised Food Recall Module available on FoSCoS. States and UTs were encouraged to sensitise Food Business Operators (FBOs) about timely reporting of recalls and ensure proper implementation of recall procedures for unsafe food products.

Other important topics included reducing pendency in licensing and registration applications, improving regulatory compliance among food businesses, and strengthening the implementation of labelling requirements for nutraceuticals and health supplements.

The meeting further examined measures to address misleading claims in food advertisements and promote the adoption of sustainable packaging practices within the food sector.

Through these initiatives, FSSAI aims to strengthen food safety governance, improve compliance levels, and ensure greater consumer protection across India's food ecosystem.