Lok Sabha Question No. 3176 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-11
Subject: Adulteration in Food
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Shri Bharat Singh Kushwah

## Government of India

## Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Department of Consumer Affairs

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3176 (OIH) TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.03.2026

## ADULTERATION IN FOOD

3176.  SHRI BHARAT SINGH KUSHWAH: (OIH)

Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether complaints of adulteration in food against some companies engaged in processing of food items are being received continuously;
- (b) if  so,  the  number  of  complaints  received  during  the  last  three  years  along  with  the  action (Investigation, suspension of licence, penalty, prosecution etc.) taken thereon;
- (c) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  introduce  new  monitoring  or  testing  system  for  strict enforcement of quality standards for companies engaged in the said sector;
- (d) if so, whether the Government proposes to provide assistance such as special incentives/subsidies/certification to processing companies for production, processing and marketing of organic and natural food products; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI B.L. VERMA)

(a) & (b) : Complaints of consumers are received by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), working under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) through the Food Safety Connect portal, which is part of the online Food Safety Compliance System (FoSCoS). On successful registration of  a  complaint,  the  concerned  Designated  Officers/Food  Safety  Officers  (DOs/FSOs)  and  the  Food Business  Operators  (FBOs)  have  online access  to  the  grievances  raised  by  the  consumers.  Regulatory action on Consumer complaints is taken by the concerned State Food Safety Department/Regional offices as per the FSS Act, 2006.

The details of Consumer complaints received and resolved is placed below:

| F.Y.     |   Complaint s Received |   Complaint s Resolved |
|----------|------------------------|------------------------|
| 2022- 23 |                   4330 |                   4074 |
| 2023- 24 |                   4735 |                   3993 |
| 2024-25  |                   7705 |                   5952 |

(c)  :  Food  Safety  and  Standards  Authority  of  India  (FSSAI)  is  mandated  to  lay  down  science  based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.

The  State  Food  Safety  Authorities  are  primarily  responsible  for  enforcement  at  the  field  level. Designated officers(DOs) and Food safety officers(FSOs) under the Commissioner of Food safety in the States/UTs are entrusted with the responsibility of enforcing the provisions of this Act.

FSSAI, through State/UT food safety authorities  and  its four  regional  offices,  conducts  regular localized/targeted  special  enforcement  and  surveillance  drives  including  National  Annual  Surveillance Plan(NASP), inspections and sampling activities throughout the year to ensure compliance with the set standards, limits, & other statutory requirements under the Act and Food Safety & Standards Regulations (FSSR).

Further, FSSAI has Risk Based Inspection System (RBIS) where frequency of inspection is decided based on risk associated with Food.  If any deviations from the standards or violations to the FSSR are observed,  the  defaulting  food  business  operators  (FBOs)  are  subject  to  regulatory  actions,  including punitive measures, as stipulated under the FSS Act 2006 and its associated rules.

(d) & (e) : Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) promote and ensure overall development of Food  Processing  Industries  by  incentivizing,  setting  up/expansion  of  related  infrastructure  through  its Central Sector schemes namely Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY) Scheme, Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food Processing Industry (PLISFPI) and Centrally Sponsored - Pradhan Mantri Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme across the country. MoFPI schemes are demand driven and it provides financial assistance in the form of grants-in-aid to eligible entrepreneurs for establishing related infrastructure.

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