Steps taken to Prevent Adulteration in Food Items

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is mandated to lay down science-based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption. The implementation and enforcement of the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006 is a shared responsibility between the Central and State Governments.

FSSAI through its regional offices and States/UTs food safety departments, conducts surveillance, inspection, monitoring and random sampling to check & verify compliance with the standards & requirements laid down under the FSS Act, 2006 & regulations made thereunder. FSSAI is responsible for laying down science-based standards and ensuring overall coordination, the State Food Safety Authorities are primarily responsible for enforcement at the field level.

To ensure compliance with the set standards, limits, & other statutory requirements under the Act and regulations made thereunder, FSSAI, through its 4 (four) Regional Offices and State/UT food safety authorities conducts regular localized/targeted special enforcement and surveillance drives.

To ensure the quality and safety of food and food products through testing, FSSAI has notified 246 National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories for primary analysis of food samples and 24 Referral Food Laboratories, for the analysis of appellate samples. To address the deficiency of food testing infrastructure in remote areas and to improve consumer access to such services, there are Mobile Food Testing Laboratories, known as Food Safety on Wheels (FSWs) at the State/UT levels. Currently, 305 FSWs are deployed across 35 States/ UTs. These mobile labs are equipped to perform basic tests for common adulterants in food products. These multipurpose vehicles not only serve as mobile testing units but also play a vital role in spreading food safety awareness and provide training programmes.

Details of enforcement action on various food safety issues (including food adulteration) in the FY 2023-24, FY 2024-25 and FY 2025-26 (so far) is annexed at Annexure-I and Annexure-II, respectively.

The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Prataprao Jadhav stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

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Annexure-I

Details of enforcement action on various food safety issues (including food adulteration)

Annexure-II

Details of enforcement action on various food safety issues (including food adulteration)
in the FY 2025-26 (till date)

*The data for FY 2025–26 is provisional.