FSSAI Orders Intensified Inspections to Curb Food Adulteration Ahead of Festive Season

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed food safety authorities across states and Union Territories to step up surveillance, inspections and sampling ahead of the Navratri and Diwali festive season to prevent the sale of adulterated, counterfeit and unsafe food products.

In a post on X, the food regulator said increased demand for sweets, snacks, beverages, edible oils, milk and milk products during the festive period required stronger monitoring and enforcement.

FSSAI has asked state food safety commissioners to treat the issue as a priority and ensure that designated officers, food safety officers and central food safety officers conduct inspections and collect samples, particularly at identified hotspots and other sensitive locations.

Special attention has been directed towards milk and milk products, sweets, snacks and savouries, edible oils, beverages and ghee.

States have also been asked to identify additional food products that experience higher demand during the festive season based on local consumption patterns.

FSSAI said the products requiring additional monitoring could differ from one region to another depending on local eating habits and the prevalence of particular food items. It cited the use of kuttu atta and singhada atta in northern and western parts of the country as examples.

The regulator has also instructed authorities to deploy Food Safety on Wheels (FSW) units wherever available, particularly at major marketplaces and other locations identified through intelligence inputs.

These mobile food safety units will conduct on-the-spot testing, strengthen surveillance and enforcement activities, raise consumer awareness and help build confidence in the safety and quality of food products available during the festive period.

FSSAI has further directed officials to update information relating to inspections, sampling and enforcement actions on the FoSCOS and FoSCORIS digital platforms in real time.

The intensified checks are aimed at strengthening food safety oversight during a period when demand for a wide range of food products rises sharply across the country.