Gujarat has total six (3 State Laboratories + 3 Municipal Corporation Laboratories) NABL accredited food testing laboratories to monitor and ensure the safety of food products. These facilities conduct tests to check for contaminants, adulterants, and adherence to quality standards. The labs play a crucial role in the enforcement of food safety regulations by providing accurate and timely analysis of food samples. These labs are upgraded time to time to meet the demands of increasing number of samples and test more stringent food standards. Food samples tested in last seven years and their results are as below:

Year	No. of Samples Tested	NSQ	% NSQ	Unsafe	% Unsafe
2016-17	20323	1442	7.10	69	0.34
2017-18	19330	1036	5.36	57	0.29
2018-19	19229	968	5.03	68	0.35
2019-20	21968	1225	5.58	60	0.27
2020-21	21596	1119	5.18	72	0.33
2021-22	25384	824	3.24	62	0.24
2022-23	22115	978	4.42	47	0.21

How does the state make sure that FBOs are up-to-date with packaging and labelling regulations?
The State Government, through the Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA) and FSSAI, conducts regular inspections and awareness programmes to educate Food Business Operators (FBOs) about packaging and labelling regulations. FDCA, Gujarat, disseminates guidelines independently or in coordination with NGOs to educate FBOs about the new packaging and labelling standards through workshops, seminars, and online resources. FDCA also does IEC activities through Food Safety on Wheels (FSW) to keep FBOs informed about the latest requirements.

How do Gujarat FDCA online applications help with licence and registrations?
FSSAI has created online portal for the submission of Food Licence and Registration applications named FoSCoS which is implemented throughout India. Gujarat like other states had implemented this new system in the state. This new portal supports user-friendly way to submit application, documents, secure submission of fees and query resolution. This digital process streamlines the application process, making it more efficient and transparent. It allows FBOs to apply for various licences and registrations, renewals, and modifications online, easing the administrative burden and helps in ease of doing business. Recently, this portal was translated in Gujarati to aid local FBOs for their better understanding.

Tell us about the Eat Right Challenge for cities and districts.
The Eat Right Challenge is a nationwide initiative by FSSAI to promote healthy eating habits. It involves various activities to encourage cities and districts to adopt and implement the Eat Right India movement, emphasising safe and nutritious food practices. It also includes the various Auditing, Training, and IEC Activities. The focus of the Eat Right Challenge is to encourage the healthy eating habits amongst the citizens of India help fighting against most of the non-communicable diseases. Eat Right India encompasses several activities for consumers and FBOs. Eat Right Campus and Eat Right School determines the eating habits of the students and the premises of the college or school campuses. Clean street food hubs emphasise on the overall development and food hygiene and safety conditions for the small and petty food business operators. Blissful and Hygienic Offering to the God i.e., BHOG is related to healthy and hygienic offering of prasad at various temples. Total 28 districts and Municipal Corporations have participated in Eat Right Challenge -1 from Gujarat State out of which 24 stood in top 75 participants.

What is Gujarat FDCAs approach towards problems or challenges like enforcement, surveillance, action against errant FBOs?
The Gujarat FDCA employs a multi-faceted approach to address challenges such as enforcement, surveillance, and acting against non-compliant FBOs. This includes regular inspections, sampling, testing, and the use of technology for monitoring and tracking. Stringent measures are taken against errant FBOs to ensure compliance with food safety regulations. Special drives for the specific commodities are scheduled throughout the year. But the intensity of testing and sampling is tremendously increased during the festive season. This also reflects in recent Diwali festive season, where officers of FDCA had drawn more than 2,300 samples and seized more than 760 tonne of food commodities costing more than Rs 530 lakh. Surveillance is also carried out at remote areas of the state with the help of the mobile food testing laboratories called Food Safety on Wheels, a specifically designed mobile laboratory equipped with the on-the-spot testing for the detection of some of the primary adulterations and testing. To increase this enforcement and surveillance, FDCA is in process of purchasing 10 more Food Safety on Wheels apart from 22 existing FSWs.

Food licence in Gujarat is mandatory. Comment.
The requirement for a food licence in Gujarat, as in other states, is mandated by the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, Rules and Regulations, 2011. This is essential to regulate and monitor food safety standards, ensuring that FBOs adhere to the prescribed guidelines and maintain the quality and safety of the food products they handle. Normally the small food business operators and petty food business operators are eligible for the registration and the food business operators with the turnover of Rs 12 lakh or above per annum are liable to take licence. FDCA, Gujarat, also organises licence-registration camps to give on the spot licence/registration to the food business operators with a view to ease of doing business. In this year, circle offices of FDCA had organised more than 100 licence-registration camps to facilitate FBOs and support ease of doing business.

What are your plans for initiatives in the near future?
As per the guidelines and advisories prescribed by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, New Delhi, FDCA Gujarat is always keen to implement it. The State Food Safety Index is released by the FSSAI and FDCA Gujarat is trying to implement all the 5 criteria and categories prescribed by the FSSAI for the betterment of the enforcement. FDCA not only focuses on the enforcement part but also regulates the food business operators in the positive manner, Trainings and IEC activities are also done. Our future initiatives and goals comprise, the higher the number of the trainings for the food business operators as well as aligning the different pillars of Eat Right initiatives such as clean street food hub, Eat Right Campuses, Hygiene Ratings etc. We would like to achieve a goal toward safe and wholesome food for the public in future and improve the choices for food and betterment of food habits. This positive environment towards the FBOs helped FDCA, Gujarat, to earn top spots in Food Safety Index for consecutive years.

A revamp of FSSAI and amendment to FSS Act are being planned. Comment.
Changes and amendments to the FSSAI and the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, are part of an ongoing process to address emerging challenges and improve the regulatory framework. These amendments aim to enhance food safety, streamline processes, and keep pace with evolving food industry dynamics and global standards. The evolution of the Act and Regulations is a continuous process. However, FSS Act, 2006, is also evolving with a view to ease of doing business for the food business operators. Various guidelines and advisories are also prescribed by the FSSAI from time to time, which in turn strengthen the FSS Act, 2006, and its implementation. New regulations such as nutraceuticals, labelling and packaging, Ayurved Ahar, vegan foods provides a healthy and broad spectrum to manage upcoming issues and difficulties faced by the normal people and the FBOs. As of now, 22 regulations are prescribed in the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, Rules and Regulations, 2011, and as already mentioned, it is a continuous process and thus there are many more regulations yet to come into force.