The comments came at a meeting organised by the Global Food Safety Partnership (GFSP) and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
Nearly 100 participants indicated intention to act in areas including funding and investment, knowledge sharing, public/private collaboration and capacity building to manage and support the region’s food safety systems.
“The GFSP strongly believes that a collaborative approach, including disseminating lessons learned and best practices to inform future food safety capacity building can improve public health, facilitate market access, and contribute to enhanced food security across the globe,” said Lystra N. Antoine, CEO.
GFSP started looking at the food safety landscape in India last year to help improve the country’s capacity.
The public-private initiative supports and promotes cooperation for food safety capacity building.
FSSAI and GFSP are also training lab staff to test for mycotoxins, pesticides and veterinary drug residues.
Ashish Bahuguna, chairperson of FSSAI, said it wants to enhance its outreach to learn from experiences of other countries in food safety and build trust in India’s food sector.
“We believe that globally there is a need for more informed and cohesive arrangement on capacity building and knowledge sharing on food safety and nutrition. This calls for support from public and private organizations, partners and other international bodies.”
Pawan Agarwal, CEO of FSSAI, said it has made progress in food safety capacity building efforts through the launch of the FosTaC portal that requires one trained and certified food safety supervisor in Indian food businesses.
“We are making a big change with increased focus on building awareness around importance of safe and nutritious food and it’s a collaborative approach in making India free from unsafe and adulterated food,” he said.