The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has ordered intensified inspections and sampling across festive food markets during Navratri and ahead of Diwali, targeting adulterated, counterfeit and unsafe products sold in cities and other jurisdictions.
The special advisory was issued by Amit Sharma, Executive Director (CS), Regulatory Compliance Division of the FSSAI, to the commissioners of all states and Union Territories and the authority’s regional directors. It directs designated officers, food safety officers and central food safety officers to inspect food businesses and collect samples in their respective areas.
The drive will cover sweets, savouries, beverages, edible oils and milk products, including ghee, khoa and paneer. Food safety authorities have been asked to focus on markets, sweet shops, snack stalls and other outlets where demand typically increases during the festive period.
Officials have also been directed to identify and monitor hotspots and sensitive locations where closer surveillance may be required. The advisory allows authorities to adapt inspections to local consumption patterns and include region-specific products. It cites kuttu atta and singhada atta, used in parts of northern and western India during Navratri, as examples of commodities that may need attention depending on regional demand.
A key part of the operation is the deployment of Food Safety on Wheels units wherever they are available. These mobile food-testing facilities may be stationed in prominent marketplaces or sent to locations identified through intelligence inputs. According to the advisory, the units are intended to support on-the-spot testing, strengthen surveillance and improve consumer awareness about food safety.
The deployment is particularly relevant to busy festive markets, where temporary stalls, roadside vendors and shops selling sweets and savouries operate alongside established food businesses. The advisory, however, directs authorities to treat mobile testing as part of a broader inspection and sampling programme rather than as a substitute for wider enforcement.
The FSSAI has also ordered that information on inspections, samples collected and their outcomes be recorded in real time on the Food Safety Compliance System, or FoSCoS, and FOSCORIS. The requirement creates a central reporting trail for the festive drive and places responsibility on local and state enforcement teams to update the systems as action is taken.
The advisory comes as festive demand increases the volume and variety of food moving through urban markets. For city administrations and food safety departments, the operation will require attention not only to permanent retail outlets but also to temporary trading locations and products linked to local festival practices. The authority has asked the concerned officials to treat the matter as being of the highest importance.
