Ms. Inoshi Sharma, Executive Director of FSSAI, and Ms. Bhuvaneswari Balasubramanian, India Country Director at GAIN, graced the occasion as Chief Guests. Government representatives such as Mr. P.C. Sabu, Joint Secretary from Kerala; Dr. T.A. Devaparthasarathy, Director & Additional Commissioner of Food Safety from Tamil Nadu; Mr. Sanjeev Kumar, Joint Commissioner from Jammu & Kashmir; Mr. Ravinder Thakur, Joint Director from FCSSA in Himachal Pradesh; Mr. Mukesh Kashyap, Food Safety Officer from Bihar; and Mr. Lalit Soyam, Nodal Officer from Maharashtra, were also present as panelists.
Moreover, delegates from the oil, milk, and wheat flour industries representing various states were present. The objective was to review accomplishments, tackle challenges, and engage in interactive discussions to shape future strategies.
Large-scale staple food fortification (LSFF) has received a lot of attention in recent years. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is strongly committed to framing policies and guidelines to create a conducive environment for the effective adoption of food fortification in the country. Since 2017, KHPT and GAIN, have collaborated with FSSAI and state governments in the scale-up of the LSFF programme for edible oil, milk, and wheat flour through effective engagement with the government and food industry representatives to address the problem of micronutrient malnutrition in the country.
To foster cross-sharing and learning of experiences, implementation frameworks, innovations, best practices, and challenges encountered during the project implementation across 20 states, a workshop was organized in Delhi today. The workshop centered around two main themes concerning the availability of quality fortified staples in both retail and social safety net programs. Each theme was tailored to facilitate the exchange of specific experiences and innovations within the thematic areas from various states.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Mohan HL, CEO, KHPT, said, “We take pride in our collaboration with 20 state governments to provide technical support in the Large-Scale Staple Food fortification initiatives, ensuring adherence to the Government of India’s guidelines for wheat flour, milk, and edible oil."
Adding further, Dr Bhuvaneswari Balasubramanian, Country Director of India Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), said, “More than 2 billion people around the world have at least one form of micronutrient deficiency, which manifests in insidious ways restricting opportunities to realise our potential- be it physical, cognitive, economic, and social. In India, we are grappling with high levels of anemia and vitamin deficiencies, especially among women and children. While there is no silver bullet, staple food fortification remains a promising complementary strategy to provide essential micronutrients at a population level. With the government’s commitment to scale up fortification, we at GAIN are proud to join hands in this endeavour. With strong collaboration with state governments and industry partners across 16 states, we support the vision of scaling up edible oil, milk, and wheat flour fortification."
In the keynote address, ‘The FSSAI’s role in food safety and regulatory compliance’, Ms Inoshi Sharma, Executive Director, FSSAI, said, “Fortification of staple foods, as we are all aware, represents a safe, cost-effective, evidence-based strategy aimed at enriching staple foods with essential micronutrients.
This approach serves to combat malnutrition, particularly among the most vulnerable populations. Our commitment lies in bolstering the industry's capabilities to fortify major staples, such as milk, edible oil, and wheat flour, which are widely accessible across India."
