Not many may have read about the hundreds of Acts directly or indirectly related to administration, ostensibly to provide flawless governance of the land ensuring welfare of all sections of the country’s steadily expanding population, lately reported to be on the cusp of 140 crore. Number of even the literate or those who are expected to be familiar, let alone be conversant with the nuances of administration focused upon the multitude of Acts may very well be an infinitesimal fraction of the country’s total headcount. One such Act, which must be in the armoury of the cognoscenti, including the honourable practitioners of law stands out, namely Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. As in cases of virtually all Acts of the nation, this one also is entrusted to a body of officials for implementing the measures which are in the nature of their rules and regulations, not to forget the punitive steps in case of violating those provisions. We are talking of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) formed in August 2011, an autonomous body established under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
FSSAI is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety. The body with its headquarters in New Delhi also has six regional offices, not one in Karnataka. The fact that the Authority has 72 State/ Union Territory laboratories located throughout India and 112 laboratories are NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) accredited private laboratories should give a feeling to the nation’s millions that all is well with the food they consume. But, reality?
