New Delhi, March 11 (IANS). The central government told Parliament on Wednesday that more than 7,700 complaints related to adulteration in food products have been received in the financial year 2024-25, out of which about 6,000 have been resolved.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs B.L. Verma said consumer complaints related to food safety are received through the online portal of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.
According to government data, 4,330 complaints were received in 2022-23, of which 4,074 were resolved.
The number of complaints increased to 4,735 in 2023-24, of which 3,993 cases were resolved. This figure increased further in 2024-25, when 7,705 complaints were filed and 5,952 of them were resolved.
Complaints are lodged on the Food Safety Connect platform, which is part of the Food Safety Compliance System (FOSCOS).
The Union Minister of State said that after the complaint is registered, online facility of complaint becomes available to the concerned designated officers, food safety officers and food business operators.
“On such complaints, the concerned state food safety departments take action as per the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006,” Verma said.
The Minister further said that the food regulator is responsible for setting science-based standards for food products and regulating their manufacturing, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure safe food for consumers.
However, enforcement at the ground level is mainly done by the State Food Safety Authorities through designated officers and Food Safety Officers.
To ensure compliance with food safety standards, the regulator conducts inspections, sampling and targeted enforcement campaigns through its regional offices and state authorities.
These include activities under the National Annual Monitoring Plan and other monitoring initiatives.
The authority has also introduced a risk-based inspection system, which determines the frequency of inspections based on the level of risk associated with different food products.
If found to be violating safety standards, food business operators may face regulatory or punitive action under the Food Safety and Standards Act.
–IANS
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