The Delhi High Court has issued notices to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Ministry of Health on a public interest litigation seeking an enquiry into alleged corruption in the FSSAI and a review of discrepancies in the food product approval system.
The matter is now posted for hearing on September 30.
The petition, filed on July 1 by Pradip Chakraborty, a former Director of Product Approval at the FSSAI, states that only 370 products have been standardised as per the Food Safety Law while the rest are sent by manufacturers to the regulator’s Product Approval Committee for clearance.
Chakraborty alleged in his petition that there were instances of malpractices, mismanagement, and “possible acts of corruption and embezzlement of funds” involving senior officials at FSSAI.
The Product Approval Committee mainly comprises non-technical personnel, according to the petitioner. The committee reviews applications of food companies that want to market products. The Maggi noodles product was approved by this committee.