The Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore, is likely to act as the nodal agency to approve nutraceuticals and other food supplements in the country. The Institute is currently setting up an exclusive facility to enhance its capabilities food compositional analysis, determination of proximate composition, food contaminants/toxicants analysis, food additives analysis and Vitamins and minerals analysis. The Institute is ready to offer its services as a nodal agency to clear dietary supplements and nutraceuticals for marketing as the government may empower the Institute for the same, said Dr V Prakash, director, CFTRI.

CFTRI is already functioning as a nodal CODEX food laboratory by interaction with the CODEX Alimentarius Commission and also with FAO/WHO JECFA on safety evaluation of food additives and monitoring and surveillance of contaminants. The Institute also prepares inputs to the shadow committees of the National CODEX committee and trains food laboratory personnel across the country through regular programmes in the latest concepts and techniques of food analysis and managing an apex information centre for national and international food standards and food legislation.

Since the Central government is seriously considering to bring out a regulatory control on the functional foods and nutraceuticals, it is likely that CFTRI may be designated as a competent agency to act as the nodal agency to be empowered for the job initially.

It may be mentioned that the central health ministry is considering a revamp of the existing Prevention of Food Adulteration Act of India (PFA Act) to make this age-old law compatible to the contemporary needs. In order to give a positive thrust on the regulation on food and food products, the Act will also be renamed as Food Safety Act (FSA), it is learnt. The draft of the new regulations is excepted after the Mashelkar Committee on Nutraceuticals submits its report on October 27.

With the restructured food regulations Act, the government is learnt to have decided to set up a Central Agency to control and monitor the food product licensing and related issues. The proposed regulatory framework, according to informed sources, would bring in a separate law enforcement channel in the food sector.