India’s food safety regulator has intensified its crackdown on adulteration, backed by a steady expansion of testing infrastructure, risk based inspections and enforcement action across the country.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has analysed more than 5.18 lakh food samples over the past three years, reflecting a significant scale up in surveillance. Between 2022–23 and 2024–25, authorities examined 5,18,559 samples spanning commonly consumed items such as milk, ghee, spices, honey and paneer. Enforcement action during this period led to 88,192 penalties, 3,614 convictions and cancellation of 1,161 licences, signalling a sharper regulatory response to violations.
Established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the national regulator is mandated to set science based standards and oversee the manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import of food products. However, implementation remains a shared responsibility. While FSSAI anchors policy and coordination, enforcement on the ground is largely driven by State Food Safety Authorities, with designated officers and food safety officers conducting inspections and ensuring compliance.
At the operational level, surveillance has been strengthened through year round monitoring drives, regulatory inspections and random sampling. These exercises are carried out by state food safety departments alongside FSSAI’s regional offices, targeting both organised and unorganised segments of the food supply chain.
A key reform in recent years has been the rollout of the Risk Based Inspection System, which calibrates the frequency of inspections according to the risk profile of food businesses. High risk categories are now subject to annual inspections, allowing regulators to prioritise oversight where public health risks are greatest. Over the last three years, 56,259 such risk based inspections have been conducted.
Parallel investments have been made in laboratory capacity. The regulator has notified 252 food testing laboratories across the country, along with 24 referral laboratories that handle appellate samples, strengthening both primary testing and dispute resolution mechanisms. This expanded network is intended to improve both the speed and reliability of food quality assessments.
Mobile testing has also emerged as a frontline tool in the fight against adulteration. A total of 305 Food Safety on Wheels units are now operational across 35 States and Union Territories. These mobile laboratories enable on the spot testing of food commodities, bringing enforcement closer to markets and consumers, particularly in areas where access to fixed laboratory infrastructure remains limited.
Beyond enforcement, the regulator has extended financial and technical support to states to bolster the broader food safety ecosystem. This includes strengthening licensing and registration systems, enhancing inspection and audit processes, supporting consumer grievance redressal mechanisms and investing in capacity building for frontline officers. Additional funding has also been directed towards upgrading laboratory equipment and promoting public awareness initiatives such as Eat Right Campus and Eat Right School.
Taken together, these measures point to a more systematised and data driven approach to food safety regulation. While challenges persist in a vast and fragmented food market, the scale of testing, enforcement and institutional strengthening suggests that India’s regulatory framework is moving towards tighter control over adulteration and improved consumer protection.
