Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda, inaugurated the second edition of the Global Food Regulators Summit 2024 in the presence of Shri Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Minister of New and Renewable Energy at Bharat Mandapam, here today. The Summit being organized by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under the aegis of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, alongside the World Food India 2024 event being organised by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, aims to establish a global platform for food regulators to exchange insights on strengthening food safety systems and regulatory frameworks throughout the food value chain.

Addressing the gathering, Shri JP Nadda said, “In alignment with our Hon’ble Prime Minister's vision of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” - One Earth, One Family, One Future,”- we launched the inaugural Global Food Regulators Summit in 2023 as a co-branded event with the G20 Summit. This ground-breaking initiative brought together global food regulators to discuss the challenges and threats to our food safety systems.

Quoting a verse from an ancient Indian scripture, “When food is pure, the mind becomes pure. When the mind is pure, memory becomes steady. When memory is steady, all the knots of the heart (ignorance, doubts, attachments) are untied, and one attains liberation”, Shri Nadda emphasized the importance of pure food in achieving mental clarity and ultimately spiritual liberation. “This timeless principle underscores the critical connection between food, health, and well-being”, he said.

The Union Health Minister underlined the growing importance of food regulators at a time when world is faced with challenges like foodborne illnesses, nutraceutical safety, novel foods, and micro plastics, all the while striving for sustainability. He said that the role of food regulators has never been more crucial and it demands continuous collaboration, relentless innovation, and a commitment to constant improvement in the food safety systems.

Shri Nadda commended the efforts made by FSSAI along with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in developing standards, keeping in mind international trade, evolving food production processes, and changing consumption patterns. “A notable achievement was the development of millet standards, launched by our Hon'ble Prime Minister at the Global Millets (Shree Anna) Conference on March 18, 2023”, he said.

The Union Health Minister also noted that work is ongoing to harmonize food safety standards with international benchmarks. “This includes developing the National Action Plan on AMR 2.0 and aligning Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for pesticides with Codex standards, enhancing our position in global trade”, he said. He further stated that GFRS 2024 presents an expanded platform to deepen our understanding of global regulatory frameworks and promote the exchange of information on food product safety requirements.

The Union Minister also informed that India is involved in strengthening regulatory capacity in countries like Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Highlighting India’s efforts in alternative measures to curb the increasing menace of plastic wastes, he said that India is taking steps to reduce plastic wastes and adopting organic farming and organic pest control measures.

Shri Pralhad Joshi lauded the efforts of FSSAI for organising the one of its kind Global Summit for the second consecutive year. Highlighting the importance of global dialogue on food safety, Shri Joshi stated “our collaborative efforts between food regulators, research organizations, and consumer affairs departments will drive innovation, ensuring that policies reflect the dual priorities of consumer protection and environmental sustainability.”

Underscoring the relevance of this summit for sharing best practices and knowledge, Shri Joshi noted that “food security doesn’t mean just having enough food. It is also important to ensure the quality and safety of food that we consume”. He highlighted the Eat Right campaign, the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana and the promotion of millets as important initiatives taken by the Union Government to ensure safe and good food.

He also highlighted the importance of food quality and food safety for the building of a healthy and fit nation. “Setting the standards of the regulations is the primary duty and responsibility of the government. FSSAI and our department has a crucial role to ensure that safe food reaches the people”, he stated.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General, World Health Organisation (WHO) who addressed the gathering virtually said that our food system faces several challenges globally due to climate change and highlighted the important role of national food regulators in harmonising regulatory policies for the world.

Highlighting that FSSAI is actively working to harmonise food standards, Shri Apurva Chandra, Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Chairperson, FSSAI said that “technology is important and essential for strengthening food safety standards. FSSAI has been at the forefront utilising technology-based solutions for licensing, import clearances, audits, inspection and other critical aspects of food ecosystem”

The Union Health Secretary highlighted the significant strides made by the Government of India in fortifying rice and distributing them through the public distribution network to address micro-nutrient deficiency in the country. He said that AI and machine learning are innovative solutions to strengthen the food regulatory system.

Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava, Officer on Special Duty, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare noted that this summit brings together the best minds of the world in food safety which provides an opportunity to share knowledge. She said that food safety and nutrition are critical to human health and the government of India has taken many initiatives to strengthen and enhance food safety governance.

Dr Samuel Godefroy, President, IUFoST stated that food science is vital for human survival and it can be sustained only through innovative regulatory solutions. He applauded FSSAI for its contribution to strengthening the global food regulatory network.

Mr Steve Wearne, Chairperson, Codex appreciated India’s significant investment in Codex and food safety regulation. He highlighted that India is one of the few countries to host subsidiary commissions of Codex.

Several innovative initiatives aimed at transforming food safety practices and enhancing information sharing were launched during the ceremony. Among these initiatives was the introduction of the Food Import Rejection Alerts (FIRA), an online portal designed to notify the public and relevant food safety authorities about food import rejections at Indian borders.

The summit also unveiled a new website for the Food Import Clearance System 2.0 (FICS 2.0), an advanced version of Food Import Clearance System for faster processing and transparency, addresses the limitations of the earlier system by offering a complete online solution with new features, automation, and integration with other relevant portals.

A millets recipe show ‘Flavours of Shree Anna – Sehat aur Swaad Ke Sang’ has been launched as a 13-episode series on Doordarshan, aimed at promoting millet-based recipes. This initiative seeks to boost nutrition awareness and highlight the health benefits and versatility of millets in everyday cooking.

Another significant highlight of the inaugural session was the release of the State Food Safety Index (SFSI) 2024, an annual report evaluating the food safety performance of Indian states and union territories. Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat and Nagaland are at the top positions in the index.

The first day of the summit witnessed a series of insightful technical sessions which addressed critical topics central to global food safety. The first session on “Regulating Food Safety and Security: A Global Perspective,” focused on conformity assessment for regulatory compliance. Other sessions were themed on “Antimicrobial Resistance: Mitigation through Inclusive Strategies,” “Regulating Health Supplements and Nutraceuticals: An Evolving Landscape,” “Sustainable Food Packaging: Policy, Innovation, and Compliance,” and “Sports and Nutrition: Key to Health and Well-Being” respectively.

A dialogue between CEOs from major food companies alongside senior government officials also took place as a parallel session to discuss promoting ease of doing business, enhancing access to nutritious foods, and improving food safety infrastructure.

Stakeholders from international organisations like WHO, World Trade Organization (WTO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Codex Alimentarius Commission, The European Food Safety Authority and Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, USA, are participating at the Global Food Regulators Summit 2024. Delegates from over 70 countries, including Food safety regulators and those from Risk Assessment Authorities, Research Institutes and Universities are participating in the Summit to discuss pressing issues and identify strategies for enhancing food safety systems across the world.

Over 5,000 physical attendees are expected at the Summit over two days and virtual participation exceeding 1,50,000, including 1,00,000 food business operators, 40,000 students and researchers, 6,000 exporters, 5,000 importers, 3,500 food safety officers, 2,500 food safety trainees, 2,000 laboratory officials, 800 Food Safety Mitras, apart from participation of Indian Missions in over 60 countries.

Shri G Kamala Vardhana Rao, CEO, FSSAI; Shri US Dhyani, Executive Director, FSSAI and senior officials of the Union Health Ministry were present at the event.

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MV

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