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Leadership vacuum at the top - FSSAI hunts for new Chairperson
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Wednesday, 11 March, 2026, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Ashwani Maindola, New Delhi
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The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has once again issued a fresh vacancy circular for the post of Chairperson, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), effectively scrapping a failed previous recruitment attempt.
“Applicants for selection to the o?ce of Chairperson, FSSAI, shall be persons of eminence in the field of Food Science or persons from Administration who have been associated with the subject and are either holding or have held a position not below the rank of Secretary to the Government of India,” reads the circular issued by the Ministry.
The move highlights a leadership vacuum at the national food regulator, which hasn’t seen a permanent, full-time head since Rita Teaotia stepped down in November 2021.
In the absence of a permanent appointment, the Central Government has relied on a series of ‘additional charge’ arrangements, effectively making the safety of India’s food safety management a part-time responsibility for the serving Union Health Secretary.
This relay race of temporary oversight has been a hallmark of Government functioning and started with Rajesh Bhushan, followed by Sudhansh Pant, and then Apurva Chandra. Currently, the responsibility rests with the incumbent Health Secretary, Punya Salila Srivastava.
As per food safety experts the dual burden of managing the Ministry of Health while simultaneously steering the FSSAI limits the regulator's ability to drive long-term scientific reforms and tackle the rising challenges of food adulteration and labelling.
While the FSSAI is tasked with navigating increasingly complex global safety standards, its own internal leadership remains in limbo. This latest hunt for a Chairperson will determine whether the government is finally ready to give food safety the dedicated attention it deserves.
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