Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Mansukh Mandaviya has called for creating a Global forum in line with World Health Assembly for detailed discussions and deliberations on food safety. Addressing the two-day Global Food Regulators Summit in New Delhi today, Dr Mandaviya, said it is the need of the hour for detailed discussions on issues like food safety for framing Universal Food Safety standards in view of the increasing habitual disease and food adulteration.
The Health Minister said that food and Health are connected to each other and therefore quality and nutrient-based food is essential for human health. He added that food safety is essential for ensuring good health and the food regulators should have a wider approach towards the subject of food safety and food standard.
During the event, Dr Mandaviya also launched three Digital Platforms namely Food – O- Copoeia which is a collection of food category-wise monographs, a Common Digital Dashboard, and SaNGRAH.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that availability of food and global food security is essential, and keeping it in mind, the Government of India has undertaken a lot of reforms and innovations in the agriculture sector to ensure quality and enhance food production. He mentioned that if any regulation is framed then efforts should be made to chalk it out keeping in mind the interest of farmers because they are the producer.
On the occasion, through a recorded message, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus congratulated the Union Health Ministry and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India for organizing this maiden global food regulators summit. He stressed the need to work collectively to ensure that everyone enjoys access to safe and nutritious food everywhere.
India's G20 Sherpa requested the participants of the Summit to utilize the platform for learning, strengthening networks to improve food safety, and creating a mechanism for investing in food safety in a sustainable way. He also stressed the need to reduce food wastage, utilize digital tools for enhancing the food supply, and promoted the use of resilient food crops like millet.
The two-day Summit which has been organised by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, is aimed at creating a global platform for regulators on enhancing food safety systems and regulatory frameworks through collaboration. It will provide an opportunity to exchange knowledge and strategies for ensuring safe food throughout the food value chain. Considering the evolving landscape of emerging food hazards, new technologies, and changing consumer needs, the summit envisages developing a cohesive approach to food safety policy frameworks. The event will have several technical sessions including on global regulatory framework, challenges and solutions for global food safety, and the impact of animal feed on food safety and human health.
