Shri G Kamala Vardhana Rao, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), addressed the state food safety officials during a state review meeting hosted in Jaipur, Rajasthan on 16th July, 2025. He said in a statement, “Samples of commonly consumed food items such as ghee, milk, paneer, and spices should be collected regularly, and the related cases must be disposed of promptly.”
Mr. Rao emphasised the requirement to accelerate the procedure for establishing the Food Safety Laboratory at Bikaner and assured us that all the support would be provided. Moreover, he appreciated the dynamic efforts of the Government of Rajasthan to promote food safety and take up arms against food adulteration. He even directed officials to focus on continuous monitoring of the situation in order to strengthen enforcement while highlighting the requirement for quick disposal of pending cases related to food adulteration.
In the review meeting, Shri G Kamala Vardhana Rao, CEO, FSSAI, examined the efforts being implemented under the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006, to prevent adulteration, which encompasses manpower deployment, pending legal cases and other essential aspects.
During the meeting, the importance of concluding adjudication within a period of 90 days from the first hearing of the case, as mentioned by the FSS Act 2006, was also highlighted. This particular meeting was attended by Additional District Magistrates from several districts who serve as adjudication officers and are responsible for tackling cases related to food adulteration. Mr. Rao took specific steps to assess the present status of the vacant Food Safety Officers (FSO) positions in Rajasthan. He advised the authorities to fill these positions as soon as possible.
Shri H. Guite, the Food Safety Commissioner of Rajasthan, provided an extensive overview about the food safety operations and forthcoming food safety campaigns, specifically at the time of festive season in India and even shared the updates related to current progression. Shri Satyen Kumar Panda, the Executive Director of Regulatory Compliance Division and Shri Rakesh Kumar, Director, both of them shared strategic guidance for the enforcement of the FSS Act 2006 effectively.
The state review meeting was also attended by Chief Medical & Health Officers, and all Food Safety Officers from various districts through online and offline mode. The meeting drew the inference with a coalesced resolution by central as well as state authorities to scale up collaboration, improve regulatory enforcement and implement food safety compliance in the state.
