The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has entered into an agreement with US-based Decernis Ltd, which will allow it to have access to a database of international food regulations through an online platform.

In a statement, it said this agreement will give access to database of over 70,000 standards for food additives, food standards and food contaminants from over 170 countries.

Pawan Agarwal, CEO, FSSAI, said that as per the good regulatory practices, the authority needs to take international practices in account, while framing national standards and guidelines. “This module will help FSSAI in accessing various regulations and practices which are followed globally,” he added. Agarwal said that access to international regulations will enable scientific panels in understanding global standards and also benchmarking Indian regulations to international standards, besides help in risk assessment.

Under the agreement, Decernis will also integrate Indian draft and final standards into its systems to improve the understanding and compliance of users.

“FSSAI will also assist in occasional client questions regarding the regulations of food standards, food additives, food contact substances, contaminants and pesticide residues,” the statement added. The regulator said that food compliance across countries, languages and cultures can be complex and this co-operation represents another step toward improving global food safety.

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