FSSAI Plans Centralised Food Surveillance System

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is planning a centralised food surveillance system for market sampling, laboratory testing, and digital alert generation. The proposed framework places surveillance sampling under a national mechanism, uses third-party agencies for sample collection, and links test results to a central database for faster regulatory action.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India is a statutory body under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. It regulates food standards, licensing, inspection, sampling, and compliance across India.

Proposed Centralised Surveillance Model

Under the proposed system, neutral third-party agencies selected through bidding will buy food samples from the market for surveillance testing. Approved laboratories will upload results to a national database, and unsafe findings will trigger digital alerts with batch numbers to the concerned state food safety commissioner. The new rules require 50% of surveillance samples to come from large organised supply chains. FSSAI headquarters will pay laboratories directly under the proposed arrangement.

Digital Compliance Systems and Recall Mechanism

FSSAI launched the Food Recall functionality on the FoSCoS platform on 25 April 2026. FoSCoS stands for Food Safety Compliance System and is used for licensing, renewals, and product approvals. FoSCoS 2.0 was introduced as a fully digital platform for licensing, renewals, and product approvals from 20 February 2026. The recall module is designed for monitoring food withdrawals and issuing safety alerts through a digital system.

Inspection, Sampling, and Enforcement Data

In financial year 2025-26, FSSAI conducted 3,97,009 inspections across food establishments and analysed 1,65,747 food samples. Of these samples, 17.16% were found non-conforming, which led to 23,580 adjudication cases and 1,756 criminal convictions. More than 10 lakh street food vendors were integrated into the formal regulatory framework in FY 2025-26. This integration links street vending with hygiene and food safety compliance requirements.

Labelling and Licensing Amendments

On 10 March 2026, amendments to FSSAI licensing regulations made food licences and registrations perpetually valid. The change is linked to risk-based inspections and reduced renewal requirements. New front-of-pack nutrition labelling rules require a star rating system for packaged foods. Manufacturers have been asked to update packaging artwork by September 2026.

Important Facts for Exams

• FSSAI was established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
• FoSCoS is the Food Safety Compliance System used for digital food regulation.
• Front-of-pack nutrition labelling is used on packaged foods to provide consumer-facing nutrition information.
• Food recall systems are used to remove unsafe food products from the market.