FSSAI directs intensified inspections to curb food adulteration during upcoming festive season

October 6, 2026

New Delhi: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has asked food safety authorities across states and Union Territories to intensify surveillance, inspections and sampling during the upcoming Navratri and Diwali festive season to prevent the sale of adulterated, counterfeit and unsafe food products, it was announced on Tuesday.

In a post on X, the food regulator said higher demand for items such as sweets, snacks, beverages, edible oil, milk and milk products during the festive period requires enhanced monitoring and enforcement measures.

According to the FSSAI, the issue should be treated as a matter of utmost importance and directed state food safety commissioners to ensure that designated officers, food safety officers and central food safety officers carry out inspections and collect samples, particularly at identified hotspots and sensitive locations.

Special focus should be placed on products including milk and milk products, sweets, snacks and savouries, edible oils, beverages and ghee.

It also added that states may also identify other high-demand food items based on local consumption patterns during the festive season.

“These commodities may vary and can be decided dependent upon the eating patterns & prevalence in the respective regions (e.g., use of kuttu atta/singhada atta in northern and western parts),” FSSAI said.

FSSAI further directed authorities to deploy Food Safety on Wheels (FSW) units, wherever available, at major marketplaces and other locations based on intelligence inputs.

The mobile units will conduct on-the-spot testing, strengthen vigilance efforts, create consumer awareness and help build public confidence in the safety and quality of food products sold during the festive season.

The regulator also instructed officials to record and update data related to inspections, sampling and enforcement actions on the FoSCOS and FoSCORIS digital platforms on a real-time basis.