FSSAI Directs States to Fill Vacancies to Strengthen Food Safety Enforcement

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has urged all states and Union Territories to expedite the recruitment of Food Safety Officers (FSOs) and Designated Officers (DOs) and fill existing vacancies to strengthen food safety enforcement 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. FSSAI emphasized that adequate field-level manpower is essential for effective inspections, surveillance, sample collection, and enforcement under the Food Safety and Standards Act. The regulator also called upon states to enhance laboratory testing capacity, improve food safety monitoring systems, and strengthen coordination among enforcement agencies. In recent months, FSSAI has undertaken several initiatives to modernize food regulation, including streamlining licensing through the FoSCoS digital platform, expanding multilingual services, strengthening food safety auditing frameworks, and issuing new notifications related to Food Safety Officers and food analysts to improve regulatory oversight. These measures are aimed at building a more robust food safety ecosystem and ensuring safer food for consumers across India.