Actions to strengthen food safety enforcement and adulteration control

• 05 Dec 2025
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The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), India’s food regulatory body, is responsible for establishing standards based on science for food products and regulating their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure the availability of food that is safe and wholesome for consumption by the public.

Between the Central Government and the State Governments, the implementation and enforcement of Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 is a shared responsibility. While the FSSAI is tasked with setting science-based standards and ensuring overall coordination, the State Food Safety Authorities are mainly responsible when it comes to enforcement at the local level. 

To ensure compliance with the established standards, limits and other statutory requirements outlined in the Act and the Food Safety and Standards Regulations (FSSR), the FSSAI conducts regular localized and targeted enforcement and surveillance drives through State/Union Territory food safety authorities and its four regional offices. 

Surveillance programs are carried out periodically in a structured manner. They focus on staple foods and commodities that are prone to adulteration. This helps collect and analyze data to understand the overall food safety spectrum. This in turn supports food safety monitoring, risk assessment and standards setting.

The Authority has notified a total of 246 National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) for the testing of food samples. Additionally, 24 Referral Food Laboratories, mainly operated by Central Government departments and institutions, have been designated for analyzing appellate samples. 

To enhance food testing infrastructure in States and Union Territories, the FSSAI is providing both technical and financial assistance under the scheme known as "Strengthening of Food Testing System in the Country, Including the Provision of Mobile Food Testing Labs" (SoFTeL).

As part of this initiative, a total of 47 state food testing laboratories have been upgraded and a total of 34 microbiology labs have been established with the purpose of improving food safety and quality parameters. To address the testing capability gap and provide on the spot food testing in remote areas lacking laboratory infrastructure, states and UTs have deployed Mobile Food Testing Laboratories (MFTLs). So far, a total of 305 MFTLs have been procured and deployed by the states and UTs. FSSAI provided funds for a total of 541 MFTLs.

On 2 December 2025, at the Rajya Sabha, the Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Prataprao Jadhav stated this information in a written response.

Source: Press Information Bureau (PIB)