The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has mandated all manufacturing firms to adopt a new national traceability application. This move aims to uphold the integrity of the final product and ensure adherence to fortification standards.
Since 2019, India has progressively mandated the fortification of essential food staples, including rice, to address malnutrition. However, the prevalence of adulteration poses a significant challenge, driven partly by the higher production costs associated with fortified products.
To address these concerns, FSSAI has directed all relevant rice producers to integrate the Fortified Rice Traceability (FoRTrace) application into their operations as part of the national Food Safety and Compliance System (FoSCoS). Manufacturers of the Premix of Food Rice Kernels (FRK) and FRK itself are required to upload lab test reports for every batch of production onto FoSCoS, along with declarations regarding the source of iron and blending ratios.
Rakesh Kumar, Director of FSSAI’s Regulatory Compliance Division, emphasized the importance of transparency and traceability in rice fortification, underscoring the integration of FoRTrace with FoSCoS. The application aims to unify stakeholders involved in rice fortification, promote transparency in record-keeping, and enable end-to-end traceability within the value chain.
In addition to adopting the traceability application, fortified rice producers must maintain detailed records of production, raw material utilization, and sales. They are also required to implement Clean-In-Place systems for regular equipment cleaning.
FSSAI has urged all state and Union Territory authorities to adopt the ForTrace portal to enhance traceability and quality assurance within their jurisdictions. The directive includes instructions for food firms to input procurement, production, and sales data into the portal, ensuring compliance with licensing conditions.
Fortified rice, distributed through India’s public food distribution systems, plays a crucial role in addressing malnutrition. FSSAI is also focused on strengthening testing capabilities, with plans to adjust the number of nationally-recognized laboratories equipped to test for micronutrients in fortified rice samples.
As of March 2024, there are 44 accredited laboratories nationwide equipped to conduct these tests, signalling a concerted effort by FSSAI to safeguard the integrity of fortified rice and uphold nutritional standards across the country.