By Chokkapan S | IMAWS (cbedit@imaws.org)
In a pathbreaking initiative aimed at bolstering consumer trust in the rapidly-evolving digital food marketplace, Tamil Nadu’s Food Safety Department is seriously considering an E-commerce policy that would require food product manufacturers, suppliers and vendors to prominently display their official food safety credentials when listing products online in delivery apps.
“We are contemplating an E-commerce policy that would mandate food manufacturers, in particular, to comply with the existing FSSAI regulations as well as display their licenses, certificates and official food safety ratings issued by the government,” said R. Lalvena IAS, Commissioner of Food Safety, Tamil Nadu, in an exclusive interaction with Kitchen Herald. “It should help online buyers make an informed decision about whether to purchase a specific food item or not,” he reasoned.
With the exponential growth of cloud kitchens, home-based food enterprises, and aggregator-led delivery platforms, ensuring transparency and safety in online food retail has become a mounting concern. According to Lalvena, the policy — once implemented — will be a natural extension of the department’s broader vision for regulatory reform, grounded in both compliance and public participation.
Raising Awareness with Tech Intervention
In what could be a strategic collaboration bridging academia, research, and governance, Lalvena also revealed that the Food Safety Department is in talks with the Department of Management Studies at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-Madras), to launch data-driven, behavioural science-backed public campaigns aimed at transforming how food safety is perceived and practised in Tamil Nadu. The tie-up might tap into the interdisciplinary expertise of IIT-Madras to design targeted interventions that cut through information fatigue and misinformation.
“The idea is to engage with students, researchers, and communication experts to craft compelling narratives and awareness strategies that will resonate with everyday consumers,” the 2001-batch IAS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre explained. The initiative is expected to focus on demystifying food labels, educating consumers on the risks of unregulated online food sellers, and encouraging a culture of hygiene-based decision-making.
Urgent Need for Stringent Measures
The urgency for such initiatives is underscored by a series of recent food safety incidents across Tamil Nadu, which serve as grim reminders for the lack of food safety awareness among general public while purchasing both online as well as in-store. Just two months ago, nine people fell ill after consuming grilled chicken at an outlet near Madurai. This led to the discovery of hygiene violations and subsequent penalties.
A 15-year-old girl in Tiruchirappalli allegedly died last September after consuming expired Korean-brand noodles purchased online. Subsequent raids by the food safety and drug administration department led to the seizure of 800 kg of expired food products from a wholesale dealer in Ariyamangalam. These incidents have prompted the Food Safety Department to intensify inspections and enforce stricter compliance measures across the state.
Statewide Action: Crackdowns against Malpractices
Following a spate of similar incidents, the Tamil Nadu Food Safety Department has conducted inspections across major districts revealing that 10 per cent of eateries were selling stale or substandard meat and fish. Over 5,900 kg of unsafe food items were destroyed, and fines worth nearly ₹12,00,000 were collected from erring vendors. The department has also scaled up collaboration with the state police and railway officials to curb the illegal transportation of meat and seafood, ensuring cold chain compliance and source verification.
In the lead-up to major festive occasions like Deepavali, the Food Safety Department officials inform that they launch awareness drives urging customers to buy only sealed, labeled sweets and snacks — and penalised businesses found reusing old oil or violating storage norms.
When asked about the recent one-year ban on mayonnaise, Lalvena clarified that the restriction applies uniformly across all food establishments — from roadside vendors and quick-service outlets to five-star hotel kitchens. “It’s important to note here that we have banned the use of only raw egg-based mayonnaise and not the pasteurised egg mayo,” he explained, adding that the move was precautionary in nature, aimed at curbing the risk of foodborne illnesses such as salmonella, especially in high-temperature environments where cold chain maintenance is often compromised.
Empowering End Consumers
Tamil Nadu currently has a robust network of 7.3 lakh registered and licensed food vendors — a wide umbrella that includes everything from modest roadside eateries and standalone cafés to sprawling restaurant chains and cloud kitchens operating at scale, said Lalvena. To bring greater standardisation across this spectrum, the state has adopted a hygiene rating mechanism developed by an empaneled agency of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The agency carries out third-party audits of establishments, evaluating them on a scale of five that includes parameters like staff hygiene and dress code. “We have evolved a hygiene rating mechanism, which is implemented by an empaneled agency of FSSAI,” Lalvena said. “The agency conducts third-party audits as well as rates the food businesses on a scale of five, including the staff members’ personal hygiene and dress code.”
A recent department survey, however, revealed that nearly 62 per cent of consumers in Tamil Nadu were unaware of the hygiene rating system, and only 18 per cent actively check for licences while eating out or ordering online — underscoring the need for more focused awareness efforts. This backdrop makes the department’s plans to make it mandatory for food outlets to display their compliance credentials prominently within their premises even more pertinent. “Soon, we will ensure that all eateries, restaurants and other food vendors display their food safety licence and other certificates in their store area for their customers to take notice,” Lalvena, who was promoted as the Principal Secretary last December, added. This move is expected to build both consumer confidence and peer accountability among food business operators.
As Tamil Nadu steps into a new era of consumer safety, these reforms — from mandatory disclosures in digital food commerce to strategic academic tie-ups — reflect a proactive governance model. The state’s approach seeks not just to penalise violations but to foster a culture of informed eating, transparent operations, and shared accountability across the food chain.
