Role of food regulators more crucial to protect consumers' health: JP Nadda

As the world is faced with challenges like foodborne illnesses, nutraceutical safety, novel foods and micro-plastics, the role of food regulators has never been more crucial and it demands continuous collaboration, relentless innovation and a commitment to constant improvement in the food safety systems, the government said on Friday.

Inaugurating the second edition of the ‘Global Food Regulators Summit 2024', Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda said the work is ongoing to harmonise food safety standards with international benchmarks.

“This includes developing the National Action Plan on AMR 2.0 and aligning maximum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticides with Codex standards, enhancing our position in global trade,” said the minister.

Minister Nadda informed that India is involved in strengthening regulatory capacity in countries like Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Highlighting the country’s efforts in alternative measures to curb the increasing menace of plastic wastes, the minister said India is taking steps to reduce plastic wastes and adopting organic farming and organic pest control measures.

Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, lauded the efforts of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for organising the one-of-its-kind global summit for the second consecutive year.

“Our collaborative efforts between food regulators, research organisations, and consumer affairs departments will drive innovation, ensuring that policies reflect the dual priorities of consumer protection and environmental sustainability,” said Minister Joshi.

Underscoring the relevance of the summit for sharing best practices and knowledge, Joshi said that food security doesn’t mean just having enough food. “It is also important to ensure the quality and safety of food that we consume”.

He highlighted the ‘Eat Right’ campaign, the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana and the promotion of millets as important initiatives taken by the government to ensure safe and good food.

“Setting the standards of the regulations is the primary duty and responsibility of the government. FSSAI and our department has a crucial role to ensure that safe food reaches the people”, said Joshi.

AI and machine learning are innovative solutions to strengthen the food regulatory system, said experts.

Delegates from over 70 countries, including food safety regulators and those from risk assessment authorities, research institutes and universities are participating in the summit.