For the 1st time, India hosted the Global Food Regulators Summit 2023 in New Delhi

For the first time, India hosted the Global Food Regulators Summit 2023, held as part of the Group 20 (G20) event, in Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi, Delhi from 20th to 21st July 2023. The summit was organised by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

•  Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare inaugurated the Global Food Regulators Summit 2023 to create a global platform of food regulators to exchange perspectives on strengthening food safety systems and regulatory framework across the food value chain.

Note:

This is the first time the summit was held outside Rome, Italy.

Key people:

i.The special guest Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Govt. of Nepal, Dr. Bedu Ram Bhusal and the guest of honour Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar are present in the event.

ii.Prof S P Singh Baghel and Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, Union Ministers of State for Health and Family Welfare are also present in the summit.

New Launches in the summit:

Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya launches the following new initiatives in the summit. 

Food-o-Copoeia:

i.Food-o-Copoeia, a collection of food category-wise monographs was released at the summit.

ii.It acts as a single point reference for all applicable standards for a specific product category detailing quality and food safety standards, labelling and claim requirements, packaging requirements, test methods and any other regulatory provisions required by the Food Safety and Standards Regulations (FSSRs).

SaNGRAH:

i.The common regulators platform ‘SaNGRAH‘ – Safe food for Nations: Global food Regulatory Authorities Handbook was also launched at the summit.

ii.It is a database of Food Regulatory Authorities of 76 countries across the world, their mandate, food safety ecosystem, food testing facilities, contact details for food authorities.

iii.This handbook is available in Hindi, English,Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam.

Common Digital Dashboard:

The Dashboard is a common Information Technology (IT)-portal that provides comprehensive information on regulations, notifications, cautions, guidelines, contamination limits, and the most recent advancements by India’s Food Regulators.

Exhibition:

i.Dr Mandaviya also inaugurated a two-day exhibition during the Global Food Regulator Summit 2023.

ii.The exhibition enables the interactions of ideas and information about food safety, food standards, food testing capabilities, product reformulation, and food technology innovation.

iii.It witnessed 35 exhibitors including Food Business Operators (FBOs), Rapid Analytical Food Testing (RAFT) manufacturers, Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), Export Inspection Council (EIC),Spice Board, Tea Board and Coffee Board to showcase their expertise and contributions to the field.

Key points:

i.The summit was attended by the food regulators from over 40 countries along with representatives from 30 International Organisations and 25 International Research Institutes to share viewpoints and knowledge on critical food safety system concerns.

ii.The various technical sessions focused on topics such as the roles and responsibilities of global food regulators, challenges and solutions for global food safety, robust standard setting, innovation in food emergency response took place in the submit