By B. Swaminathan | swami@imaws.org
Public perception in recent months has been that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has finally begun “touching” large, well-known food businesses after years of going easy on them, following a string of high-profile raids across the country. In an exclusive interview with Kitchen Herald, Rajit Punhani, IAS, Chief Executive Officer of FSSAI, pushed back on that framing.
A Continuous Effort, Not a New Crackdown
Enforcement against big and well-known names, Rajit said, is not a recent development but part of a continuous effort that has always kept consumers at the centre, carried out alongside States and Union Territories based on regulatory requirements and identified risks. FSSAI, he stressed, has never operated on the assumption that scale or brand recognition puts a food business beyond scrutiny.
That said, he acknowledged there is always room to do more. FSSAI’s direction is towards a system that is increasingly preventive, risk-based, science-driven and technology-enabled, covering stronger inspections and surveillance, better testing infrastructure, evidence-based standards, and smarter use of data, alongside empowering consumers with accessible ways to flag concerns. Food safety, in his words, is a shared responsibility between the regulator, State and UT authorities, businesses, food handlers and consumers, and the objective is not to target any one category or size of business but to ensure every operator meets prescribed standards.
What Recent Raids Reveal About India’s Food Safety Standing
Asked what trends have emerged from the recent enforcement drives, Rajit pointed to recurring problem areas: compliance with food safety standards, hygiene and sanitation lapses, poor handling and storage practices, and, in some cases, misleading labelling claims. He cautioned against reading these findings as a verdict on the entire food sector.
FSSAI runs risk-based inspections and surveillance routinely, and where non-compliance surfaces, Food Business Operators (FBOs) receive notices and directions for corrective action. These interventions, he added, have also driven wider voluntary compliance, with many FBOs proactively correcting labelling and claims issues once flagged, evidence that enforcement works as a nudge towards better standards, not just as punishment.
For hotels, restaurants, and food manufacturers, the message from the top is consistent: enforcement isn’t new, isn’t selective by brand size, and isn’t slowing down.
