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Part B: Food Safety Eco System in India: Central Advisory committee and
scientific Committee/ panels, Initiatives of FSSAI: Eat Right India, FoSTaC, Food
Fortification, Detect Adulteration with Rapid Test (DART), Clean Street Food,
BHOG (Blissful Hygienic Offering to God), Food Safety on Wheels, Food Smart
Consumer, Codex, Diet for Life etc.

Initiatives of FSSAI:
Eat Right Movement' : The Eat Right Movement built on two broad pillars of ‘Eat
Healthy' and ‘Eat Safe', aims to engage, excite and enable citizens to improve their
health and wellbeing. Led by FSSAI, it is a collective effort to make both the demand and
supply—side interventions through engagement of key stakeholders.

On the demand side, it focuses on social and behavioural change among citizens and
nudging citizens towards making the right food choices. On the supply side it focuses on
nudging the food businesses to reformulate their products, provide better nutritional
information to consumers and make investments in healthy food as responsible food
businesses.

The 'Eat Healthy' pillar of the movement is about nudging citizens to make healthy food
choices and building healthy food habits. It encourages them to choose nutritious and
fortified foods in the right proportion and limit foods that are high in salt, sugar and
fat. It also stresses upon the importance of physical activity and mental well being.

The ‘Eat Safe' pillar is about ensuring food safety to prevent food borne diseases. It
includes maintaining hygiene and sanitation, both personal, and environmental,
proper waste disposal, following safe food practices and combating food
adulteration.

'The Eat Right Movement' brings together three ongoing initiatives of FSSAI that
target citizens: -

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The Safe and Nutritious Food [SNF] Initiative, focused on social and behavioural
change around food safety and nutrition at home, school, workplace etc.

The Eat Healthy Campaign focused on reducing our daily intake of salt, sugar, fat,
phasing-out trans-fats.

Food Fortification, focused on promoting five staple foods—wheat flour, rice, oil, milk
and salt, with key vitamins and minerals added to improve their nutritional content.

'The Eat Right Movement' is a multi—sectoral effort with primary focus on reducing our
daily intake of salt, sugar, fat, phasing—out trans—fats from our diets and promoting
healthier food options. It is based on seven broad areas of action.

Seven broad areas of action for Eat Right Movement:

1. Increase the demand for healthier food by influencing each other as role models,
caregivers and peers and promote sustainable diets [SNF@Home and
SNF@Workplace].
2. Set food standards in schools, regulate positioning of unhealthy food outlets where
children gather, promote healthy eating habits and use food as a pedagogical tool.

3. Have appropriate consumer-friendly nutrition labelling, claims and restriction on

marketing to children through suitable regulation.

4. Have higher taxation for unhealthy food through differential GST Rates.

5. Ensure availability of healthier food options, promote such options, and guide
consumers through appropriate menu labelling on nutrition in the food services
sector.

6. Redesign choices available at point of sale with increased availability and

prominent display of healthier options and more shelf space for such food in retail
outlets including sale through electronic platforms.

7. Encourage the food processing industry to reformulate their food products by

reducing unhealthy ingredients and invest in production of healthier foods.

Eat Right India Movement has four key elements:

• ‘Swasth Bharat Yatra’, a nationwide cycle relay
• ‘Eat Right Creativity Challenge’ for posters, wall art and digital creatives
• ‘Eat Right Awards’ and ‘Eat Right Start-up Awards’ for industry, individuals and
start-ups and
• ‘Eat Right Melas’ to engage, excite and enable citizens and food businesses
towards safe and healthy foods.

Recognizing the significance of street food culture in the country, ‘Eat Right Mela’
is being organized in partnership with the National Street Food Festival by NASVI (
National Association of Street Vendors of India).

NATIONAL EAT RIGHT MELA: It is an opportune time to change the way India eats.
For which, ‘Eat Right India’ Movement, a mass-movement or ‘Jan Andolan’ was
launched by FSSAI to coincide with celebrations of 150th years of Mahatma Gandhi. The
Movement is an effort to bring together other flagship programmes of the government,
like Poshan Abhiyan, Ayushman Bharat, Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan and Anemia-Mukt
Bharat.
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Safe and Nutritious Food at Workplace: The "Safe and Nutritious Food at Workplace"
or SNF@Workplace is a nation-wide campaign to help people eat safe, eat healthy and
eat right at their workplaces. With the rising incidence of diet-related diseases and
lifestyle disorders, we need to be more conscious and mindful of our diets.

This initiative, therefore, promotes safe and healthy diets through its resource book-
'THE ORANGE BOOK' and through FSSAI-trained Food Safety Supervisors (FSS) and
Health and Wellness Coordinators (HWC) at every workplace across India.

Under SNF@Workplace, the following steps are taken:

1. Ensuring Regulatory Compliance
• FSSAI registration and Licensing of vendors
• Food safety management systems guidelines for in house and external food
catering services
• Food safety supervisors at every workplace to enforce these guidelines.
• Monthly testing and third party audits for kitchens and premises.

2. Creating Employees Awareness:

A handbook on safe and nutritious food for employees containing practical tips for
ensuring safety of food, making healthy food choice and including good eating habits.
An online platform for safe food and nutritious for detailed information.
1. Creating an Enabling Environment
2. Providing Training

3. Creating an Enabling Environment:

• Health and wellness coordinators for every workplace
• Healthy menu in workplace canteens with at least 50% healthy options.
• Fortified rice, wheat flour, oil, milk and salt for preparing food at workplace.
• Behaviour change communication programmes for employees.
4. Providing Training:
• Training food safety supervisors.
• Training health and wellness coordinators.
• FSSAI based online training and certification through FoSTac.

7 keys to ensure safe and nutritious foods at workplace:

1. APPOINTMENT OF TRAINED FOOD SAFETY SUPERVISOR
2. APPOINTMENT OF HEALTH AND WELLNESS COORDINATOR
3. ADOPTION AND DISSEMINATION OF ORANGE BOOK
4. THIRD PARTY AUDITS TO COMPLY WITH SCHEDULE IV OF FSS (LICENSING
AND REGISTRATION)
5. INTERNAL AUDITS TO MAINTAIN HYGIENE AND SANITATION
6. 50% HEALTHY MEAL OPTIONS ; USE OF FORTIFIED FOODS IN THE MEAL
7. DISTRIBUTION OF AWARENESS MATERIAL OR ANY OTHER ACTIVITY ON THE
INITIATIVE

*ORANGE BOOK: Your guide for safe and nutritious food at work place. Orange book
serves a guide for general practices recommended for ensuring safe and nutritious at the
workplace.

Health & Wellness Matrix: The Health and wellness matrix is a rating for workplaces
based on key safe and healthy food practices.

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'Safe and Nutritious Food at Home' is a nationwide campaign to help citizens eat safe,
eat right and be smart food consumers. This initiative of FSSAI is aimed at filling in this
gap. This would have useful and practical tips and information about food safety and
nutrition that Indian households need on a day-to-day basis. This website would be a
one-point credible source of information and good practices regarding food safety and
nutrition. https://snfportal.in/

The following steps are taken:

• Creating Resources on Safe and Nutritious Food.
• Disseminating Knowledge on Safe and Nutritious Food through community
outreach.
• Providing Training on Food Safety and Nutrition.
•
Safe and Nutritious Food at School' is a nation-wide campaign to help school children
inculcate the habit of eating safe and eating right. The Yellow Book, the resource book
for this campaign helps children learn about safe and wholesome food in a fun,
interactive way, through curricular and extra-curricular activities.

SNF@SCHOOL is based on a three-pronged approach, at the school, state and

national level. This is being done through curricular or co-curricular activities. At
school level, the culture of food safety & nutrition is to be promoted through Health and
Wellness Coordinators and Health Teams.

Safe and Nutritious Food at Hospital' is a nation-wide campaign to help people eat
safe and eat right in hospitals. Due to the increased risk of infection and cross-
contamination, extra caution regarding hygiene and sanitation is needed in hospitals.
Further, the campaign would help develop an overall ecosystem for safe and nutritious
food in hospitals. This book and more resources can be downloaded from FSSAI's
Citizen's Portal.

Food hygiene in hospital poses peculiar problems, particularly given the presence of
patients who could be more vulnerable than healthy people to microbiological and
nutritional risks. This makes it imperative to train food handlers, about food hygiene
and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points(HACCP).

The project is an initiative in collaboration with Indian Railways and IRCTC and
the key responsibilities have been distributed in the following manner:
• Indian Medical Association
• Indian Dietetics Association
• Nutrition Society of India
• Indian Pharmaceutical Association
• Government Hospitals
• Private Hospitals and Clinics
• Institute of Liver & Biliary Sciences
• National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers
• Joint Commission International
• State and Central Government Health Departments
• Municipal and Local Authorities
• Pharmaceutical companies
• Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• Central Health Education Bureau (CHEB)
• National Health Mission (NHM)

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SNF@BHOG: Places of Worship (PoW) are a very important part of Indian society and
food served in these places is regarded as pure and sacred. BHOG (Blissful Hygienic
Offering to God) is a part of the SNF bouquet of initiatives to encourage PoW to adopt
and maintain food safety and hygiene while preparing prasad/food and includes training
the food handlers and vendors in and around the premises of the PoW.

Implementation of BHOG would help to ensure that safe and wholesome prasad is
received by the devotees along with the blessings of God. Implementation of BHOG
would help to ensure that safe and wholesome prasad is received by the devotees along
with the blessings of God.

Project BHOG was launched in Gujarat, with the first workshop on “Implementing Food
Safety Management System in Places of Worship” being organized by FSSAI and Gujarat
FDCA on 1st May, 2018 at Shree Somnath, Somnath Prabhas Patan , District
Girsomnath, Gujarat.

Serve Safe' is an initiative to enable food businesses, food handlers and consumers to
ensure that the food served in hotels, restaurants and canteens is safe and hygienic.

Three key components are-training of Food Safety Supervisors based on a standard

curriculum, installation of 'Food Safety Display Boards' as a feedback mechanism
for improved interface with consumers and 'Hygiene Rating' and 'Hygiene + Rating'
to raise the bar continuously. Going beyond hygiene, 'Hygiene + Rating' is to sensitize
food businesses towards human health and sustainability.

There should be at least one trained and certified Food Safety Supervisor (on
maximum 25 employees).

SAFE FOOD ON TRACK: An Initiatives to provide Training and certification to Food

Handlers to ensure food safety in Indian Railway. To provide knowledge of
hygiene/service, hand hygiene, proper food cooking and holding temperatures, and cross
contamination to Catering services and people who prepared and serve food.

The following steps are taken:

• Creating Resources on Safe and Nutritious Food
• Disseminating Knowledge on Safe and Nutritious Food through community
outreach
• Providing Training on Food Safety and Nutrition

The project is an initiative in collaboration with Indian Railways and IRCTC and
FSSAI.

Serve Safe' is an initiative to enable food businesses, food handlers and consumers to
ensure that the food served in hotels, restaurants and canteens is safe and hygienic.

Serve safe is being rolled out through 3 major activities: -

1. Appointment of certified Food Safety Supervisor (FSS) in FBOs - There should be
at least one trained and certified Food Safety Supervisor (on maximum 25 employees) in
each Food Service Establishment including Catering Industry. They will train all food
handlers and ensure compliance with regulations.

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2. Mandatory display of Food Safety Display Boards (FSDBs) by FBOs - The boards
will be used to communicate safe food handling practices followed by the FBO and create
a forum for customer to provide feedback and complaints.

3. Hygiene and Hygiene+ Ratings ("Responsible place to eat") - FSSAI Food Hygiene
Rating Scheme aims to allow consumers to make informed choices about the places
where they eat out & through these choices, encourage businesses to improve their
hygiene& nutrition standards & thus reduce the incidence of food-borne illness.

Diet4Life: FSSAI has initiated “Diet4Life” to help people understand about metabolic
disorders. It will provide a comprehensive platform to parents, Health care professionals
and parent support groups to adopt the right approach towards Inborn Errors of
metabolism (IEM) management.

In India many babies suffer from life threatening conditions of IEM, and treatment of
these metabolic disorders require early nutritional and dietary intervention. In view of
the seriousness of the issue, FSSAI initiated a unique platform for parents to find timely
medical support and treatment.

FSSAI has entered into a partnership with professional organizations, healthcare

professionals and corporates to address the challenge that plagues a small section of our
society.

Diet4Life objectives:
 Spread awareness about inborn metabolic defects in general public with the help of
parent support group in order to facilitate timely diagnosis, treatment and availability
of special IEM diets for IEM conditions.
 Facilitate training Program of health care professionals (doctors and Dieticians) with
the help of various Medical and Nutrition societies.
 Extend support to medical and nutrition associations and societies for maintaining
National Registry of IEM patients.
 Development of IEM material.
 Making special dietary products easily available for various IEM conditions.

Fortification is the addition of key vitamins and minerals such as Iron, Iodine, Zinc,
Vitamins A & D to staple foods such as rice, wheat, oil, milk and salt to improve their
nutritional content. These nutrients may or may not have been originally present in the
food before processing or may have been lost during processing.
Why do we Need Fortification of Food?
Deficiency of micronutrients or micronutrient malnutrition, also known as ?hidden
hunger?, is a serious health risk. Access to safe and nutritious food is a must and
sometimes due to lack of consumption of a balanced diet, lack variety in the diet or
unavailability of food one does not get adequate micronutrients. Often, there is
considerable loss of nutrients during the processing of food as well. One of the strategies
to address this problem is fortification of food. This method complements other ways to
improve nutrition such as such as diversification of diet and supplementation of food.
India has a very high burden of micronutrient deficiencies caused by Vitamin A, Iodine,
Iron and Folic Acid leading to Night Blindness, Goitre, Anaemia and various birth
defects. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4).
• 58.4 percent of children (6-59 months) are anaemic
• 53.1 percent women in the reproductive age group are anaemic
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• 35.7 percent of children under 5 are underweight
Fortification is a globally proven intervention to address the much prevalent
micronutrient deficiencies in the population

What are the Benefits of Fortification?

Food Fortification has a high benefit-to-cost ratio. The Copenhagen Consensus estimates
that every 1 Rupee spent on fortification results in 9 Rupees in benefits to the economy.
It requires an initial investment to purchase both the equipment and the vitamin and
mineral premix, but the overall costs of fortification are extremely low. Even when all
program costs are passed on to consumers, the price increase is approximately by 1-2%,
which is less than the normal price variation. Following are the various benefits of
fortification of foods:
1. Nutrientsare added to staple foods since they are widely consumed. Thus, this is an
excellent method to improve the health of a large section of the population, all at once.
2. It is a safe method of improving nutrition among people. The addition of
micronutrients to food does not pose a health risk to people. The quantity added is small
and well under the Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA) and are well regulated as per
prescribed standards for safe consumption.
3. It is a cost-effective intervention and does not require any changes in eating patterns
or food habits of people. It is a socio-culturally acceptable way to deliver nutrients to
people.
4. It does not alter the characteristics of the food like the taste, aroma or the texture of
the food.
Safety Net Programme:
• Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)
• Fortification in Public Distribution System (PDS)
• National Programme of Mid-Day Meal in Schools (MDMS)

The Food Fortification Resource Centre is a Resource and Support Centre to promote
large-scale fortification of food across India. It is a resource hub which provides
information and inputs on standards and food safety, technology and processes, premix
and equipment procurement and manufacture, quality assurance and quality control for
fortification of foods. FFRC's approach is to motivate, nudge and facilitate the food
industry to adopt Food Fortification as a norm.
The primary goal of FFRC is to address the deficiency of vitamins and minerals for a
healthy nation. For the same, a two-pronged strategy has been adopted by scaling up
fortification both in the safety net programmes and making it available in the open
market for all. For this aligning the demand and supply of fortified food in the country is
being worked towards at the earliest.

Objectives of FFRC
1. To educate people about the benefits of fortified foods.
2. Sensitise states about fortification of food and promote them in the Safety Net
Programmes to curb the incidence of micronutrient deficiencies.
3. Provide technical support especially to small scale food manufacturers to enable them
to produce fortified foods.
4. To train and build capacity for large-scale fortification of foods and provide tools for
To provide communication material, technical, scientific and financial support to
promote large-scale fortification of food.

Online Portal of the Food Fortification Resource Centre has been set up to aid in
realisation of these objectives. The portal serves two very important purpose:

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1. To serve as a platform for interaction between all stakeholders, such as Central
Ministries, Development Partners and particularly food manufacturers, processers and
fortification pre-mix makers.
2. Providing all information pertaining to fortification of food such as scientific evidence,
latest fortification technology, national and international experience, government
circulars and orders along with the success stories of various states and the food
industry.

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Iron and iodine fortified salt - the next breakthrough for tackling iodine and iron
deficiency in the country.

Double Fortified Salt (DFS) is an innovative new fortified food product - delivering small
but crucial amounts of iodine and iron to human beings through their diet. In general,
DFS formulations are intended to provide 100% of daily dietary iodine requirement, and
~30 to 60% of daily dietary iron requirement. Dual fortification of salt with iodine and
iron could be a sustainable approach to combat iodine and iron deficiencies. India’s
National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) has pioneered the development of double fortified
salt (DFS).

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Milk is a rich source of high quality protein, calcium and of fat-soluble vitamins A and
D.
Vitamins A and D are lost when milk fat is removed during processing. Many countries
have a mandatory provision to add back the vitamins removed as it is easily doable. It is
called replenishment as the nutrients lost during processing are added back.

Fortification of milk with Vitamin A and Vitamin D is required in India because of the
widespread deficiencies present in the population. A Recent National Nutrition
Monitoring Bureau (NNMB) survey and a Report of the expert group of ICMR in 2012 has
stated that India has very high burden of Vitamin A and D deficiencies, amongst both
young children and adults particularly in urban areas are physically less active and have
a very limited exposure to sunlight.
Since milk is consumed by all population groups, fortification of milk with certain
micronutrients is a good strategy to address micronutrient malnutrition. India is the
largest producer of milk in the world with 146.3 million tonnes of production and per
capita availability of 322 grams per day . The dairy industry in India has progressed
from a situation of scarcity to that of plenty.

Oil fortification: As per Household Consumer Expenditure (HCE) Survey in India,

NSSO report 2011, consumption of oil is reasonably high, about 20-30g / person / day
and is consumed by all population groups. Since vitamin A and D are fat-soluble
vitamins, fortification of edible oils and fats with vitamin A and D is a good strategy to
address micronutrient malnutrition and fortified oil is known to provide 25%-30% of the
recommended dietary allowances for vitamins A&D.

Rice fortification is a cost effective, culturally appropriate strategy to address

micronutrient deficiency in countries with high per capita rice consumption. The cost of
fortification is determined by a multitude of context specific variables such as the
structure and capacity of the rice industry, the complexity of the supply chain, the policy
and regulatory environment and the scale of the relevant programme. As per Department
of Agriculture Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, India's rice production has increased at
Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 1.43 percent during 2005-06 and 2016-17.
India was the second leading rice producer followed by Indonesia and Bangladesh in
2015-16.
Fortifying rice makes it more nutritious by adding vitamins and minerals in the post -
harvest phase; many of which are lost during the milling and polishing process. Rice
fortification may be considered as having the highest potential to fill the gap in current
staple food fortification programs as it is the staple food of 65 percent of the Indian
population and reaches the most vulnerable and poorer section - with the highest
uptake in the government safety net programmes. The food and civil supplies
department of each state empanels a number of rice millers in each district for regular
supply of rice to the FCI, from which it is distributed to the social safety net schemes.

Wheat Flour: Wheat is the staple food for most Indians in the wheat growing areas
(North, West and Central India) and is consumed in the form of homemade chapattis or
rotis (unleavened flat bread) using custom milled atta (whole wheat flour). For the year
2018-19, wheat consumption is forecasted at 93 MMT. Therefore, wheat flour is selected
as a suitable vehicle for fortification to improve the nutritional status of the mass
population.

Advantages of Fortifying Wheat Flour

(1) Wheat flour fortification is a safe and effective means of improving public health.
(2) Fortified wheat flour is an excellent vehicle for adding nutrients to the diet as wheat
flour is commonly consumed by all people.
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(3) Cost effective method to prevent nutritional deficiencies.
(4) During milling of wheat, nutrient losses take place. Fortification helps in adding back
these nutrients.
(5) Iron, Folic acid and Vitamin B12 when added to wheat flour is important for fighting
anaemia and blood formation.

Important points related to Food Fortification:

Food fortification is not a new idea in India. Fortification of Vanaspati, was mandated in
1953 and iodization of salt was mandated in 1962. India’s 9th (National Nutrition
Policy), 11th and 12th Plan documents recommend fortification of staples with
micronutrients. In order to achieve targeted outcomes over the next five years (2022),
envisioned by the National Nutrition Strategy8 on “Kuposhan Mukt Bharat”, food
fortification has been identified as one of the key strategies for implementation.

The fortificants that are used are of PLANT ORIGIN, and hence good for all, without
conflicting with religious / cultural beliefs of people. The vitamins and minerals added to
the food, are natural or synthetic in nature.

Premix is mixture of micronutrients which is used to fortify any food. “Premixes” means
a combination of two or more fortificants in a specific proportion with or without
additives, packed and meant for use in formulating a product falling under any category
as per the Food Safety and Standards (Fortification of Foods) Regulations, 2018.

Micronutrients are the nutrients which are required in miniscule amount by body but
have important role to play in the body functions. Vitamins and minerals are classified
as micronutrients. Micronutrients help in formation of hormones and enzymes.

State Food Fortification Index for the status of Fortified Foods in states and UTs.

+F logo for endorsement of food fortification.

The Food Regulatory Portal is a unique and comprehensive full service platform for
food businesses, to cater to both domestic operations and food imports. It is made in
alignment with the government’s policy of digital India, the power of technology has been
harnessed in other areas also to ensure standardization, efficiency and transparency.
The portal hosts multiple IT platforms at one point to facilitate food businesses and
reduce compliance burden. In the past year, FSSAI has taken a number of systematic
steps to create just such a unifying framework.

Jaivik Bharat: The portal on Organic Food from India is a regulatory portal. At the
heart of the portal is an Indian Organic integrity database jointly developed by FSSAI,
APEDA and (PGS-India) on Organic food standards, certification processes, information
relating to FBOs, their products and geographical areas in which they are available. The
Organic Food products may be searched by name of the food and by the name of the
company as well.
The unified logo is an identity mark to distinguish organic products from non-organic
ones supported with the tagline “Jaivik Bharat” at the bottom, which signifies Organic
Food from India. Effectively intertwining all the elements of environment, the logo
communicates adherence to the National Organic Standards.
• Sikkim has been declared as the India’s first fully organic state.
• Total area under Organic certification is 5.71 million hectares.
• India ranks first in terms of number of Organic producers. India ranks 9th
in area under Organic agriculture.

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• India exports around 1.35 million MTs of certified organic foods.
•
PGS-India (Participatory Guarantee System of India) is a quality assurance initiative
that is locally relevant, emphasize the participation of stakeholders, including producers
and consumers and operate outside the frame of third party certification.
For residues of insecticides in organic food, limits shall be 5% of the maximum limits
prescribed or Level of Quantification (LoQ) whichever is higher as for foods specified
under Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulations,
2011.

Farmers Welfare and National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP)

implemented by Ministry of Commerce and Industry: In case of single ingredient
product where all requirements been met as per the specified standards can be labelled
as ‘Organic’. In case of multi ingredient product where min. 95% of ingredients are of
certified origin, can be labelled as ‘Certified Organic’.

Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) implemented by Ministry of Agriculture and

Farmers Welfare: In case of single ingredient product where all requirements have been
met, may be labelled as ‘PGS- Organic’. In case of multi ingredient product where min.
95% of ingredients are organic, it may be labelled as ‘PGS- Organic’.
Codex Alimentarius Commission:
History: The International Dairy Federation (IDF), founded in 1903, was one such
association. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), established
in 1947, and the International Standards Organization (ISO), founded in 1947, have also
played instrumental roles in harmonizing standards to ensure quality and safety in
trade. When FAO and WHO were founded in the late 1940s, there was heightened
international concern about the direction being taken in the field of food regulation.

The Sixteenth World Health Assembly approved the establishment of the Joint
FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme. The Codex Alimentarius Commission was
established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health
Organization (WHO) to implement their joint food standards programme. It held its
first session in 1963. Codex Alimentarius Commission located at FAO headquarter
in Rome, Italy has become the world’s preeminent international food-standard-setting
body – contributing to safe, good food for everyone.

Codex standards, guidelines and codes of practice (together referred to as “Codex

texts”) are recommendations – meaning their application is voluntary. Member
countries need to take legal steps at the national level to incorporate Codex guidance
into their legislation or regulations for it to be enforceable. Some texts, such as codes of
practice, are used extensively in training in order to achieve a change of behaviour in
producers that will lead to safer food.
There are total 223 Codex Standards, 78 Codex guidelines and 53 Codex codes of
practices as on date.

Codex general standards, guidelines and codes of practice apply horizontally to a

variety of areas, food types and processes. These texts deal with hygienic practice,
labelling, additives, inspection and certification, nutrition, and residues of
veterinary drugs and of pesticides. The first Codex texts in the 1960s were printed
volumes.

Codex commodity standards refer to specific products or food groups.

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Codex methods of analysis and sampling, including those for contaminants and
residues of pesticides and veterinary drugs in foods, are also considered Codex
standards.

Codex guidelines fall into two major categories:

• principles that set out policy in certain key areas; and
• guidelines for the interpretation of principles or for the interpretation and
extension of provisions of Codex general standards.
For food additives, contaminants, food hygiene and meat hygiene, the principles
governing the regulation of these matters are built into the relevant Standards and
Codes of Practice as well as in the texts of the Procedural Manual.
For labelling, specific guidelines extend the range of the Codex General Standard for
the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods e.g. for health and nutrition claims, nutrition
labelling etc.

Codex codes of practice also fall into two major categories:

• The codes of hygienic practice which define the production, processing,
manufacturing, transport and storage practices for individual foods or groups of
foods that are considered essential to ensure the safety and suitability of food for
consumption. For example, for food hygiene, the basic text is the Codex General
Principles of Food Hygiene, which introduces the use of the Hazard Analysis and
Critical Control Point (HACCP) food safety management system – an approach
for identifying and providing options to deal with hazards that is fundamental to
modern food safety work. Another major code is the Code of Practice for Fish and
Fishery Products.
• Other codes aim at the prevention and/or reduction of chemical/mineral
contaminants such as mycotoxins, acrylamide or heavy metals. All codes of
practice are developed in close cooperation with practitioners.
•
General Standards in Codex: General standards, guidelines and codes of practice apply
to all foods. The following are the general standards:
1. Food additives are fully regulated in the Codex General Standard for Food Additives.
The standard clearly lays out the principles for using additives and defines the
maximum use levels.
2. Food hygiene refers to avoiding microbiological contamination of food with harmful
microorganisms. This is ensured by relevant Codex codes of hygienic practice for the
commodity or group of commodities concerned, mainly following the overarching Codex
General Principles for Food Hygiene.
3. Other food contaminants include chemicals, heavy metals and radioactive
substances. They may enter into food from the soil (heavy metals), humidity (mycotoxins)
or production processes (acrylamide). The Codex General Standard for Contaminants in
Food and Feed defines principles and sets limits for a number of contaminants and
several codes of practice give guidance on how to avoid contamination.
4. Pesticide residues and residues of veterinary drugs in foods are specific
contaminants caused by products used in the production of food but not intended to be
contained in it. These are regulated in Codex Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs), which
are available as databases on the Codex website.
5. Labelling includes provisions on the name of the food and any special requirements
to ensure that the consumer is not deceived or misled about the nature of the food. The
Codex General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods also contains
requirements for the listing of ingredients and date-marking. The General Standard is
extended by guidelines on nutrition labelling, nutrition and health claims, and general
and production claims, for example on organic produce.

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6. Methods of Analysis and Sampling contains a list of the test methods needed to
ensure that the commodity conforms to the requirements of the standard. References are
made to internationally recognized test methods that meet the Commission’s criteria, for
example, for accuracy and precision.

7. Import and Export Inspection and Certification defines principles of trading

practices to facilitate international trade, with guidance on how to set up a food
inspection and certification system, the use of certificates, communication in case of
emergencies and principles for traceability.
8. The nutritional aspects of foods for labelling purposes are studied by the Codex
Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses. This Committee gives
guidance in its areas of expertise to the Committee on Food Labelling in addition to
setting standards for special foods, such as gluten-free foods or foods for infants and
small children. The Committee also deals with food fortification and food supplements.
*GENERAL STANDARDS are applicable for all foods while COMMODITY
STANDARDS define specific foods following a common format.

Codex Alimentarius Commission:

• Currently the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) has 189 Codex Members
made up of 188 Member Countries and 1 Member Organization (The European
Union) and 99.8% of the world’s population were represented in the Commission.
Last country to join CAC is Timor-Leste which joined in 2018.

• The Codex Alimentarius Commission meets annually, alternating between FAO

headquarters in Rome and WHO headquarters in Geneva.

• The Commission elects a Chairperson and three Vice-Chairpersons from among its
members at each session. An individual office-holder may be re-elected twice,
thereby serving a maximum of three terms. Chairpersons are normally elected
from among the three Vice-Chairs.

• Each Codex member decides on which officials to appoint to participate on its

behalf and on the composition of its delegation. A national delegation is normally
headed by a senior official appointed by the Government and may also include
representatives of the national food industry, consumer organizations and
academic institutions.

• Countries not yet members of the Commission may attend as observer countries.
Membership of the Commission is open to all Member Nations and Associate
Members of FAO and WHO which are interested in international food standards.

• The programme of work of the Commission is funded through the regular budgets
of WHO and FAO.

• The Commission works in the six UN official languages.

The Codex consists of the following main organizational elements:

• the Commission
• the Executive Committee
• the Codex Secretariat
• Codex Subsidiary bodies:
• General subject committees (also known as horizontal committees)

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• Commodity committees (also known as vertical committees)
• FAO / WHO coordinating committees
• Ad hoc intergovernmental task forces.
•
Executive Committee: The Executive Committee is the only body in Codex that has
limited participation and whose sessions are not open to the public. Its sessions are
audio-recorded and uploaded on the Codex website to ensure transparency.

The Executive Committee is composed of the Chairperson and the Vice-Charipersons of

the Commission. Seven members elected on a geographical basis (Africa, Asia, Europe,
Latin America and the Caribbean, Near East, North America, South-West Pacific) and six
regional coordinators (Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Near East,
South-West Pacific).

The Executive Committee makes proposals to the Commission regarding general

orientation, strategic planning and the programming of the work of the Commission.

General subject committees:

• Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA)
• Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods (CCCF)
• Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH)
• Codex Committee on Food Labeling (CCFL)
• Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS)
• Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU)
• Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems
(CCFICS)
• Codex Committee on General Principles (CCGP)
• Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR)
• Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF)
Commodity Committees:
• Committee on Fats and Oils (CCFO)
• Committee on Fish and Fishery Products (CCFFP)
• Committee on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (CCFFV)
• Committee on Processed Fruits and Vegetables (CCPFV)
• Committee on Milk and Milk Products (CCMMP)
• Codex Committee on Cereals, Pulses and Legumes (CCCPL)
Also there is one Ad hoc Codex Intergovernmental Task Force on Antimicrobial
Resistance.

THE CODEX STANDARD-SETTING PROCEDURE: The Codex standard-setting

procedure, or “Codex step procedure”, is designed to provide for consultation with a
broad spectrum of stakeholders, but also contains a fast track to allow for urgent
standards to be set within one year.
(Step 1): A new Codex standard normally starts life as a discussion paper in the
Commission or a subsidiary body. Any delegation (member or observer) may submit
discussion papers. The formal submission of a proposal for a standard to be developed
(project document) may be submitted either by a member or a subsidiary body of the
Commission detailing the need for a standard, the timeframe for the work and its
relative priority.
The Commission decides whether to develop a standard based on a critical review of the
project document by the Executive Committee. “Criteria for the Establishment of Work
Priorities” exist to assist the Commission or Executive Committee in their decision-
making and in selecting the subsidiary body to be responsible for steering the standard
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through its development. If necessary, a new subsidiary body – usually a specialized
task force – may be created.
(Step 2): The Secretariat arranges for the preparation of a proposed draft standard
(usually through electronic working groups or drafting groups).
(Step 3): and circulates it to members and observers for comments: today, this is done
through the Codex Online Commenting System (OCS) – an purpose-built, web-based
system, designed to facilitate broad and effective participation .
(Step 4): The relevant subsidiary body considers the comments and may present the text
to the Commission as a draft standard.
(Step 5): The draft may also need to be referred to the Codex committee responsible for
labeling, hygiene, additives, contaminants or methods of analysis for endorsement of any
special advice in its area of expertise.
(Step 6): Members and observers have another opportunity to comment on the draft
standard .
(Step 7): Their comments are considered by the body assigned the work and final
amendments are made.
(Step 8): Standards take an average of 4.2 years to develop. Once adopted by the
Commission, the standard becomes part of the Codex Alimentarius.

Advisory mechanisms: JECFA: The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food

Additives (JECFA) was established in 1955 to consider chemical, toxicological and other
aspects of contaminants and residues of veterinary drugs in foods for human
consumption. The Codex Committee on Food Additives, the Codex Committee on
Contaminants in Foods and the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in
Foods identify food additives, contaminants and veterinary drug residues that should
receive priority evaluation and refer them to JECFA for assessment before incorporating
them into Codex standards.

JEMRA: The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meetings on Microbiological Risk Assessment

(JEMRA) began its work in 2000, aiming to optimize the use of microbiological risk
assessment as the scientific basis for risk management decisions relating to
microbiological hazards in foods. Its assessments and other advice provide the scientific
basis for the development of Codex standards, codes of hygienic practice and other
guidelines in the area of food hygiene.

JMPR: Joint FAO/WHO Meetings on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) began in 1963

following a decision that the Codex Alimentarius Commission should recommend
maximum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticide and environmental contaminants in
specific food products to ensure the safety of foods containing residues. It was also
decided that JMPR should recommend methods of sampling and analysis. There is close
cooperation between JMPR and the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR).
CCPR identifies those substances requiring priority evaluation. After JMPR evaluation,
CCPR discusses the recommended MRLs and, if acceptable, forwards them to the
Commission for adoption.

JEMNU: Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meetings on Nutrition (JEMNU) was established in

2010 with the aim of strengthen the role of FAO and WHO in providing scientific advice
on nutrition to Member States and bodies, including the Codex Alimentarius
Commission; in particular, its scientific advice is relied on significantly in setting
nutrient reference values (NRVs), in particular through the work of the Codex Committee
on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses.

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International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) provides advice and support on levels of
radionuclide contamination in foods and on food irradiation.

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) provides advice on animal health,
animal diseases affecting humans and the linkages between animal health and food
safety.

Codex and ISO (International Organization for Standardization) activities are

complementary. Codex, as a governmental organization, prepares documents to assist
governments in their statutory and regulatory work to protect their citizens from health
hazards caused by food consumption. ISO prepares standards in particular on test
methods to assist stakeholders along the whole food chain to fulfil both the statutory
and regulatory requirements, as well as the requirements of consumers of these
products.
5. CODEX, TRADE AGREEMENTS AND THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION (WTO):
The GATT Uruguay Round (1986–1994) Agreements represent a milestone in the
multilateral trading system as they, for the first time, incorporated agriculture and food
under operationally effective rules and disciplines.
They recognized that measures adopted by national governments to protect the health of
their consumers, animals and plants could become, in effect, barriers to trade in
disguise, and that they could be discriminatory.

Consequently, the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and the Technical
Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreements were included among the Multilateral Agreements on
Trade in Goods, annexed to the 1994 Marrakesh Agreement, which led to the
establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on 1st January 1995.

164 members representing 98 per cent of world trade, WTO is headquartered at

Geneva, Switzerland. Roberto Azevêdo is current director of WTO.

Scope of the SPS Agreement: The scope of the SPS Agreement is defined by the
objective of the measures. The measures covered by the SPS Agreement are taken to
protect:

Human or animal health - Risks arising from additives, contaminants, toxins or

disease-causing organisms in food and feed

Human health : Plant- or animal-carried diseases (zoonoses)

Animal or plant health: Pests, diseases or disease-causing organisms

The territory of a country: Other damage caused by the entry, establishment or spread
of pests

Scope of the TBT Agreement: The scope of the TBT Agreement is defined by the
objective of the measures:
Technical regulations: Technical regulations lay down product characteristics or their
related processes and production methods. Compliance is mandatory. They may also
deal with terminology, symbols, packaging, marking and labeling requirements.
Standards: Standards are approved by a recognized body responsible for establishing
rules, guidelines or characteristics for products or related processes and production
methods. Compliance is not mandatory. They may also deal with terminology, symbols,
packaging, marking and labeling requirements.

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Conformity assessment procedures: Conformity assessment procedures are used to
determine that relevant requirements in technical regulations or standards are fulfilled.
They include procedures for sampling, testing and inspection; evaluation, verification
and assurance of conformity; and registration, accreditation and approval.
TBT COMMITTEE'S SIX PRINCIPLES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNATIONAL
STANDARDS: Development dimension, Transparency, Coherence, Effectiveness and
relevance, Openness, Impartiality and consensus

International standards: Both the SPS and TBT Agreements strongly encourage WTO
members to use international standards, guidelines and recommendations as the basis
for their measures. The SPS Agreement explicitly recognizes three international
standard-setting bodies, covering the three main areas in which SPS measures are
applied:
• the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission, for food safety standards;
• the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), for animal health standards and
diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans (zoonoses); and
• the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), for plant-health standards.

"Codex India" the National Codex Contact Point (NCCP) for India, is located at Food
Safety and Standards Authority of India (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare), FDA
Bhawan, Kotla Road, New Delhi -110002, India. It coordinates and promotes Codex
activities in India in association with the National Codex Committee and facilitates
India's input to the work of Codex through an established consultation process. Act as a
link between the Codex Secretariat, National Codex Committee and Shadow Committee.

National Codex Committee (NCC): The National Codex Committee has been constituted
by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India for dealing with the Codex
Alimentarius Commission (CAC). Also advise government on the implications of various
food standardization, food quality and safety issues which have arisen and related to the
work undertaken by the CAC. Also appoint the Shadow Committees.

Shadow Committees: The Food Authority has appointed the Shadow Committees of the
National Codex Committee (NCC) on subject matters corresponding to the Codex
Committees to assist the NCC in the study or consideration of technical matters. Officers
in the rank of Joint Secretary or above in the concerned Department/Ministry / Food
Authority who handle the subject at the policy level and also serve as the members of
the NCC may be nominated as the Chairpersons of these Shadow Committees.
Currently, the Shadow Committees assist the National Codex Committee in the
following areas:
• Codex Alimentarius Commission
• Executive Committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission
• Regional Coordinating Committee (including Coordinating Committee for Asia)
• General Principles
• Food labelling
• Methods of Analysis and Sampling
• Pesticides Residues
• Veterinary drugs
• Food Hygiene
• Food Additives
• Contaminants in Foods
• Food Export and Import and Certification Systems
• Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses
• Fish and Fishery Products
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• Fats and Oils
• Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
• Processed Fruits and Vegetables
• Milk and Milk Products
• Spices & Culinary Herbs

FAO/WHO COORDINATING COMMITTEE FOR ASIA (CCASIA): CCASIA is one of the

Regional Coordinating Committees established by Codex Alimentarius Commission,
which has 23 Asian Member countries as of 2014. The main objective of CCASIA is to
promote mutual communication among the Asian members as well as to develop
regional standards for certain food products. Since its beginnings in 1978, CCASIA has
been working under the purpose of the Codex of protecting the health of the consumers
and ensuring fair practices in the food trade.
• India, as the Regional Coordinator for Asia, welcomes your active participation in
the activities of CCASIA

CCASIA Contact point:

National Codex Contact Point,
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
(Ministry of Health and Family Welfare)

India was re-appointed as Regional Coordinator for Asia (CCASIA) to hold office
from the end of CAC40 session held in Geneva until the end of session of the
Commission scheduled for 2019.

The Commission elected the following persons to hold office till the end of the
next regular (41st) Session of the Commission: Chairperson: Guilherme Antonio da
Costa Jr. (Brazil)

Food Laboratories: One of the key mandates of FSSAI as per Chapter VIII, Section 43 of
the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 is to foster an ecosystem for testing of food at
labs for compliance with the Food Safety standards. The Food Authority notifies food
laboratories and research institutions accredited by National Accredited Board for
Testing and Calibration Laboratories or any other accreditation agency for the purposes
of carrying out analysis of samples by the Food Analysts under this Act. As per the FSS
Act, 2006, the Food Authority shall, establish or recognise by notification, one or more
referral food laboratory or laboratories to carry out the functions entrusted to the referral
food laboratory by this Act or any rules and regulations made.

FSSAI has framed the Food Safety and Standards (Recognition and Notification of
Laboratories) Regulations, 2017 which lay down:
1. The functions of food laboratory and referral food laboratory and the local area or
areas within which such functions may be carried out,
2. The procedure for submission to the said laboratory of samples of articles of food
for analysis or tests, the forms of the laboratory's reports thereon and the fees
payable in respect of such reports; and
3. Such other matters as may be necessary or expedient to enable the said laboratory
to carry out its functions effectively.
4.
List of FSSAI Notified Food Testing Laboratories under Section 43 (1) of FSS Act,
2006: 182 as on date 27.09.2019

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FSSAI Notified Referral Laboratories under section 43 (2) of FSS Act, 2006: 18

National Reference Laboratories: FSSAI has recognised National Reference laboratory

(NRL) to set up a country wide standard for routine procedures, validation of such
standard procedure / testing methods, development of new methods and ensuring
proficiency in testing across the food laboratories with special reference to the risks or
food categories. Either a primary food laboratory or a referral food laboratory can be
considered for declaration as a NRL. Presently there are 12 NRLs and 2 Ancillary
National Reference laboratory (ANRLs).

Laboratories and their Functions:

1. Functions of the Laboratory Notified Under Section 43 (1) - The Notified
Laboratory shall carry out the following functions, namely:
i) Enforcement of food laws by virtue of testing food against the prescribed quality and
testing parameters (as per relevant FSSR, 2011 as amended from time to time);
ii) In surveillance activity to ensure that the food products sold are standardized and
also complying with the existing standards;

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iii) Assist in testing of imported food thereby ensuring the transparent mechanism of
trade and also testing of regulatory samples compliance;
2. Functions of Referral Laboratory [Notified Under Section 43 (2)] - Referral
Laboratory shall be a Government Laboratory. In addition to the functions
entrusted to the Referral Laboratory under the Act, it shall carry out the Following
functions, namely:
i) Analysis of samples of food sent by any officer or authority authorized by the Food
Authority for the purpose and submission of the certificate of analysis to the
authorities concerned;
ii) Investigation for the purpose of fixation of standard of any article of food;
iii) Investigation in collaboration with the laboratories of various States and such
other laboratories and institutions which the Food Authority may approve on its
behalf, for the purpose of standardizing methods of analysis.
iv) Ensuring that the laboratory follows the scientific protocols laid down for
handling/testing the articles of food.

v) Maintaining high standards of accuracy, reliability and credibility in the operation

of the laboratory and achieving and maintaining the required levels of
accreditation and reliability.

vi) Laying down mechanism for ensuring that personnel of the laboratory adhere to high
professional standards and discipline.
vii) Capacity building by way of organizing professional training, workshops and
seminars for the Food analyst, laboratory personnel in the states specified by the Food
authority.

Viii) Playing the role of appellate laboratory in case of any dispute over the results of
analysis between two parties (Laboratories/ Food Business Operators) within the ambit
of FSSAI, Such other functions, as the Food Authority may lay down for Referral
Laboratories, from time to time.

ix) Such other functions, as the Food Authority may lay down for Referral Laboratories,
from time to time.

Indian Food Laboratory Network (IN FoLN ET):Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006
gives authority to Food Safety Officer to draw samples which are intended for sale or
human consumption. Act has also mandated FSSAI to notify laboratories from time to
time for testing of various food products in the country.
Currently testing is being done by State Labs and Private Labs across the country,
however, the test reports are not available to FSSAI in real time. The reports are only
made available in physical form upon request which makes it impossible to keep this
data for future reference.

lNFoLNET is a web enabled system connecting all food testing laboratories in the country
to build a repository of Lab test reports. It gives access to FSSAI as well as Non-FSSAI
approved Laboratories to publish their test reports online for all types of samples namely
Compliance, Surveillance, Enforcement, Import and Citizen, in real time so that this
information is readily available to FSSAI for their verification and analysis. It has online
as well as offline version and caters to mobile labs also.

In addition to creation of database of test results, lNFoLNET shall also help to maintain
technological and human capabilities of the labs which is required to ensure sufficient
infrastructure with rising population and demand for food products.
lNFoLNET maintain:
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• Database of all food testing laboratories along with their capabilities across the
country.
• Database of product standards for which testing is to be done.
• Process to test all types of samples mentioned above.

lNFoLNET Users
Laboratory, Food Safety Officer, Authorized Officer, Designated Officer, Food Business
Operator, FSSAI, Food Safety Commissioner Office, Research Institutions and Other
Govt. Agencies.

lNFoLNET Modules:
1. Sample Registration: Initial step is to register the sample in the system. Following
users register the sample in the system:
Surveillance Sample / Enfoncement Sample— Food Safety Officer
Compliance Sample— Food Business Operator
Import Sample—Authorised Officer
Citizen Sample – Laboratory

2. Sample Codification: Every sample has to be uniquely identified before it is sent to

Lab. lNFoLNET has a provision to generate sample slip with unique number.

3. Lab Assignment/ Request for testing: In case of surveillance and enforcement

samples, lNFolNET based on product and location, shall shortlist nearby laboratories
which can test that product.

4. Lab Management System

5. Approval and Generation of test report

Mobile Lab
• Sample Registration
• Qualitative Testing
• Test Report Upload
6. Surveillance Planning: Objective of this module is to enable FSSAI and FSC to create
a surveillance plan at state and district level respectively.

7. Capturing Alerts: Provision for Risk Cell to capture disease alerts/recalls in the
system so that surveillance planning can be done at regional level.

lNFoLNET Benifits:
1. Availability of test data on real time basis for
a. Risk Analysis
b. Risk Profiling of products, locations,
2. Uniform parametric testing across all facilities for all products
3. Knowhow of Lab capabilities and identification of need for capacity building, re-
skilling etc.
4. Better surveillance planning.
5. Improvement in product standards based on historic trends of test data.
6. Transparency in sampling procedure.
7. Need analysis of Lab requirement at a particular geographic location for particular
food product, testing facility etc.

NetProFaN is envisaged as a platform, hosted by the Food Safety and Standards

Authority of India (FSSAI), to leverage the collective strengths of the professional

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associations and bodies in food and nutrition, to foster innovations and enhance
complementarity across these bodies.

In addition, this Network will leverage the resources, skills, expertise and knowledge of
its members to support the national efforts in improving food and nutrition indicator.

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Exercise
Q. Explain “Eat Right Movement” of FSSAI in details.

Answer: The Eat Right Movement built on two broad pillars of ‘Eat Healthy' and ‘Eat
Safe', aims to engage, excite and enable citizens to improve their health and wellbeing.

Led by FSSAI, it is a collective effort to make both the demand and supply—side
interventions through engagement of key stakeholders. On the demand side, it focuses
on social and behavioural change among citizens and nudging citizens towards making
the right food choices.

On the supply side it focuses on nudging the food businesses to reformulate their
products, provide better nutritional information to consumers and make investments in
healthy food as responsible food businesses.

The 'Eat Healthy' pillar of the movement is about nudging citizens to make healthy food
choices and building healthy food habits. It encourages them to choose nutritious and
fortified foods in the right proportion and limit foods that are high in salt, sugar and fat.
It also stresses upon the importance of physical activity and mental well being.

The ‘Eat Safe' pillar is about ensuring food safety to prevent food borne diseases. It
includes maintaining hygiene and sanitation, both personal, and environmental, proper
waste disposal, following safe food practices and combating food adulteration.

'The Eat Right Movement' brings together three ongoing initiatives of FSSAI that target
citizens: -

The Safe and Nutritious Food [SNF] Initiative, focused on social and behavioural change
around food safety and nutrition at home, school, workplace etc.
The Eat Healthy Campaign focused on reducing our daily intake of salt, sugar, fat,
phasing-out trans-fats.

Food Fortification, focused on promoting five staple foods—wheat flour, rice, oil, milk
and salt, with key vitamins and minerals added to improve their nutritional content.
'The Eat Right Movement' is a multi—sectoral effort with primary focus on reducing our
daily intake of salt, sugar, fat, phasing—out trans—fats from our diets and promoting
healthier food options. It is based on seven broad areas of action.

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Seven broad areas of action for Eat Right Movement:

1. Increase the demand for healthier food by influencing each other as role models,
caregivers and peers and promote sustainable diets [SNF@Home and
SNF@Workplace].
2. Set food standards in schools, regulate positioning of unhealthy food outlets where
children gather, promote healthy eating habits and use food as a pedagogical tool.

3. Have appropriate consumer-friendly nutrition labelling, claims and restriction on

marketing to children through suitable regulation.

4. Have higher taxation for unhealthy food through differential GST Rates.

5. Ensure availability of healthier food options, promote such options, and guide
consumers through appropriate menu labelling on nutrition in the food services
sector.

6. Redesign choices available at point of sale with increased availability and

prominent display of healthier options and more shelf space for such food in retail
outlets including sale through electronic platforms.

7. Encourage the food processing industry to reformulate their food products by

reducing unhealthy ingredients and invest in production of healthier foods.

Q. Explain “Food Safety Training and Certification” initiative of FSSAI in details.

Q. Explain “Food Fortification” in details.

Q. Explain Codex Alimentarius Commission in details.

Q. Write down the various Codex committees.

Q. Explain the Codex standard-setting procedure.

Q Write short notes on following Codex Advisory mechanisms:

1. JECFA
2. JEMRA
3. JMPR
4. JEMNU

Q. Explain the structure and roles of Central Advisory Committee, Scientific

Committee and Scientific Panel of FSSAI.

Q Write short notes on following initiatives of FSSAI:

1. Clean Street Food
2. BHOG

Q Write short notes on following initiatives of FSSAI:

1. Food Safety on Wheels
2. Food Smart Consumer
3. Diet for Life

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