India will soon have a scientific regulatory agency responsible for the safety of the nation’s domestically produced and imported foods, cosmetics, drugs, biologics, medical devices, and radiological products.
Proposed on the lines of Centre for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition in USA and the Centre for Disease Control, the new agency to be set up under the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will be responsible for promoting and protecting public health by ensuring that nation’s food supply and cosmetics are safe and honestly labelled. Sources said that the “implementation of this project will be started after the final approval of the 12th plan by the National Development Council, which is expected shortly.”
Officials believe that even the increase in the variety of food items has made it necessary to have such an agency which is expected to provide services to the consumers, domestic and foreign industry and other outside groups regarding field programs, scientific analysis and support and policy, planning and handling of critical issues related to food and cosmetics.
For protecting the food and cosmetic supplies, it will be required to inspect establishments, collection of samples, monitoring imports, laboratory research etc. While, its implementation will require upgradation of existing food laboratories into regional laboratories and setting up of new laboratories, the staff will include highly specialised professionals like microbiologists, chemists, toxicologists, food technologists, pathologists, molecular biologists, pharmacologists, nutritionists, epidemologists, physicians etc.
Other than US, such centres are available in many other countries. The agency in US works with the international organisations like World Health Organisation, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, Codex Alimentarius Commission, International Cooperation on Cosmetic Regulation) and occasionally directly with foreign governments to educate them on US requirements and to harmonise international standards.