The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India's (FSSAI) Central Advisory Committee (CAC) has proposed eliminating the need for annual license renewals for Food Business Operators (FBOs) and instead allowing licenses to be issued for up to 5 years. FSSAI described this as one of the major requests made by the food and beverage industry as a part of ease of doing business.

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At the 41st CAC meeting on August 24 at Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, FSSAI's CEO Kamala Vardhana Rao reviewed the status of sampling of food products and encouraged states/UTs to ensure compliance with the prescribed standards.

While encouraging states/UTs to expedite the identification and implementation of 100 healthy and hygienic food streets across India, Rao stressed on the importance of fortified rice for combating micronutrient deficiencies among children and pregnant women, for which awareness will be propagated in rural areas by FSSAI.

He requested states to make efforts to achieve the target of FoSTaC training of 25 lakh FBOs in the next 3 years as announced the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya on the World Food Safety Day on 7th June.

FSSAI also aims to establish and strength laboratories, train food handlers and upgrade the overall canteen infrastructure under various Eat Right India initiatives, to help in testing of key raw materials like ghee, milk, spices, etc. used in food preparation. It also aims to train food handlers in hygiene protocols like Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points (HACCP).