Arun Singhal appointed as CEO FSSAI

Arun Singhal on Friday was appointment as the CEO of Food safety and standards authority of India after the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on Friday approved his appointment.

Singhal was special secretary, department of health and family welfare before joining FSSAI.

He will succeed GSG Ayyangar who was given the charge of the CEO of the food regulator when its full time CEO Pawan Agarwal was moved to the consumer affairs ministry.

Pawan Agarwal, who was recently appointed as special secretary logistics, after a brief stint as consumers affairs secretary, moved out of the role earlier this year.

FSSAI that comes under the purview of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, is responsible for setting up standards for the food industry and regulate the manufacturing, storage, distribution, sale, and import of foods.

Meanwhile, as part of efforts to ensure ease of doing business for food companies, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is all set to launch its upgraded cloud-based online compliance platform. The food safety regulator aims to make Food Safety and Compliance System (FoSCoS) as the one-stop point for all its regulatory and compliance engagements with Food Business Operators (FBOs).

While initially the new integrated platform, will enable licensing, registration and filing of annual returns, FSSAI will eventually add a host of other regulatory and compliance functions to the platform. It will also replace the existing Food Licensing and Registration System (FLRS).

“A single regulatory platform will act as pan-India integrated response system to any food fraud and ensure an advanced risk-based, data driven regulatory approach,” FSSAI said in a notice to food business operators.