FSSAI launches initiative to bank leftover food

The move is an attempt to reduce food wastage

Country’s top food regulator— Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), on Monday launched an integrated web-based platform wherein people can offer surplus meal to the hungry.

The move is an attempt to reduce food wastage. In August this year, HT had broken the story about FSSAI’s plan to create a network of food banking partners to collect and distribute leftover food to the hungry.

Union minister of state for health Ashwini Choubey was present during the launch of The Indian Food Recovery Alliance (IFRA) initiative that will guide citizens and food recovery agencies on ways to prevent food loss and also how to safely recover the surplus food.

The platform allows donors, individuals and volunteers to register themselves under the initiative. The donors will be able to track the status of the food they had donated, using personalised logins.

“It is not enough that food is available but the food should be nutritious as well,” said Choubey. He was addressing the gathering at the national ‘Conclave on Nutrition Security: Partnership and Convergence’ organised by the FSSAI on the occasion of World Food Day.

He emphasised the need to raise awareness about nutritious food and cautioned people against adulteration.