Food processing minister asks FSSAI to streamline regulations amid increasing fears in sector

NEW DELHI: Food processing minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Wednesday asked the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to streamline its regulations, saying its actions have created an environment of fear and affected innovation in the sector she oversees. FSSAI has gained notoriety among a section of the food processing industry, especially after the ban on Nestlé's Maggi over the level of lead found in the instant noodles brand.

Regulators in several nations that import the noodles from India have found the product safe to eat. Some other brands of noodles have been withdrawn from the market for not having FSSAI's approval or have been forced to change labelling to conform with local rules. Badal said there was a concern among food processing companies that an inspector raj was being enforced. Speaking at a CII event, she said her ministry has set up a task force to help the industry overcome the fear and take up its issues with the food regulatory body. "Since FSSAI is under a different ministry (health ministry), we created the task force for better coordination," she said.

A notification formalising the creation of the task force is yet to come, said officials at the food processing ministry. The task force will analyse the various obstacles and bottlenecks being faced by the industry, they said.

The minister said the growth of the food processing sector was very vital and linked to farmers' remuneration. The task force also aims to prepare a road map for states on food processing, strengthen farmmarket linkages and leverage the potential of the sector, she said. Badal also stressed on an issue the food industry and analysts have long been complaining about — the lack of storage space, especially cold storages. There is a shortage of 29 lakh metric tonnes of cold storage in India, she said. "…we have plan to set up 138 new cold chain plants to tackle this shortage in the next four years. This would also provide employment to one-million people," she said.