New Delhi: Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Jagat Prakash Nadda, today unveiled the logo and brochures of the upcoming Global Food Regulators Summit (GFRS) 2024 at Nirman Bhavan, marking a significant step towards fostering global collaboration on food safety standards. The summit, organized by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), is set to take place from September 19 to 21 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. It will run alongside the World Food India 2024 event, hosted by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.
Nadda emphasized the growing global importance of food safety, stating, “While food security has long been a focus, food safety must now be prioritized to safeguard the health of populations worldwide.” He highlighted that the GFRS 2024 will serve as a platform for food regulators from over 70 countries, including 30 international organizations, to share knowledge, strengthen food safety systems, and enhance regulatory frameworks across the food value chain.
The summit, featuring nearly 5,000 delegates and an additional 1.5 lakh virtual participants, will see active participation from global organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), World Trade Organization (WTO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and Codex Alimentarius Commission. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of WHO, will virtually address the event. National stakeholders, including the Ministry of Food Processing, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), and the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), will also be present.
This year’s summit marks the first time a regional food regulators’ conference is being held outside of Rome, making it a proud moment for India. Nadda noted that this platform will enable Asian countries to discuss region-specific food safety and trade challenges, further strengthening India’s role in global food safety discussions.
Key topics to be addressed at GFRS 2.0 include antimicrobial resistance (AMR) mitigation, regulation of health supplements, sustainable food packaging, residue monitoring systems, and the impact of animal feed on food safety. The summit will also see the debut of a millet-based recipe series, “Flavours of Shree Anna – Sehat aur Swaad Ke Sang,” aimed at promoting nutrition awareness through Doordarshan.
One of the major highlights will be the launch of the State Food Safety Index (SFSI) 2024, which assesses the food safety performance of Indian states and Union Territories. Additionally, the summit will introduce the Food Import Rejection Alerts (FIRA), an online portal for sharing food import rejections at Indian borders, and Food Import Clearance System 2.0 (FICS 2.0), an upgraded, transparent, and automated clearance system for food imports.