The Supreme Court of India has reserved order on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that sought the establishment of a specialised National Task Force to oversee the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) enforcement activities.
As per reports, the petitioner had argued that current enforcement mechanisms are insufficient to tackle the rising instances of food adulteration and ‘pesticide-heavy’ produce across the country.
The SC observed that while the concerns regarding public health are ‘ serious’, the creation of a parallel administrative body falls squarely within the domain of executive policy.
The SC noted that the FSSAI already operates under a comprehensive legislative framework, the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006, which provides for scientific panels and expert committees and the petition lacks evidentiary material.
The reports added that during the proceedings, the bench expressed reservations about the ‘generalised nature’ of the petition.
The petition sought SC direction for setting up of the National Task Force under the apex court’s supervision to ensure effective enforcement of food safety laws and a time bound audit & inspection drive across the country.