Report

Uttar Pradesh is stepping up its food fortification efforts by launching a pilot project to distribute fortified wheat flour through the Public Distribution System (PDS). The initiative was announced at the 19th State Connect Programme held in Lucknow, jointly organised by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), UP State FDA, and CII-FACE (Confederation of Indian Industry – Food and Agriculture Centre of Excellence).

Tackling Anaemia Through Fortification

Ranvir Prasad, Principal Secretary (Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection), revealed that over 40% of the state’s population suffers from anaemia. To combat this, the state has already fortified rice across 865 PDS outlets, 1,823 Anganwadi centres, and 102 rice mills, reaching nearly 19.17 lakh beneficiaries. The upcoming wheat flour fortification aims to further improve micronutrient intake and nutritional security.

Industry Collaboration for Safer Staples

A dedicated session on large-scale fortification brought together key stakeholders, including PATH, GAIN, Fortify Health, Technoserve, KHPT, and the World Food Programme (WFP). Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the session showcased best practices and technology to enhance the fortification of rice, wheat, milk, and edible oil. CII also emphasised its mission to improve compliance and manufacturing standards across the value chain.

Expanding Food Safety Infrastructure

With UP contributing 35% of India’s wheat and sugarcane output, the state continues to strengthen its food safety ecosystem. It now operates 18 food testing laboratories, reflecting a strong push toward better lab capacity, safety monitoring, and enforcement.

Digital Tools and Awareness Initiatives

Ranjan Kumar, Principal Secretary (AYUSH and Food Safety & Drug Administration), stressed the importance of public awareness campaigns and digital monitoring systems, aligning efforts with the Viksit Bharat vision. Dr. S.K. Panda from FSSAI highlighted the need for FBO registration on the FoSCoS portal and regular risk-based inspections.

FSSAI also conducted live FoSCoS training sessions, demonstrated techniques for detecting milk adulterants and contaminants, and held lab demonstrations at CSIR-IITR, giving officials hands-on experience in food safety monitoring.

Source: Hindustan Times