Shri Subodh Kant Sahai, Minister of Food Processing Industries, said his department was not proposing to introduce a new measure in place of the 2006 Food Safety and Standard Act.

But Sahai said the government planned the “establishment of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India for laying down science based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacturer, storage, distribution, sale and import”.

The safety watchdog’s aim would be to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption, he added.