Government issues standard operating procedure for implementation of ‘rice fortification’

The government has issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to maintain desired quality standards for implementation of ‘rice fortification’ to address malnutrition, anaemia and micronutrient deficiencies, it said in a statement.

The department of food and public distribution said that its storage and research division is also overseeing the quality standards of finished product from procurement to its distribution through various social security programmes as well as self-declared quality certification from the end of FRK (Fortified Rice Kernels) manufacturers/millers.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) claims that “food fortification is a scientifically proven, cost-effective, scalable and sustainable global intervention that addresses the issue of micronutrient deficiencies.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ambitious plans of to supply fortified rice in all food schemes of India by 2024 in his Independence Day speech in 2021. Earlier in 2019, the Union government had initiated a pilot scheme for "Fortification of Rice and its Distribution under Public Distribution System" for three years, with an outlay of Rs 174.64 crore, and this scheme was expected to unfold in 15 districts of 15 states until March 2022.

Further, the government added in its statement that the SOP outlines the level-wise role & responsibilities of various stakeholders engaged under the ambitious scheme from FRK manufacturing to its distribution to the eligible beneficiaries. While the role and responsibilities of various stakeholders are defined by the Department, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is playing a vital role in the entire programme.

FSSAI, empanelled the FRK (Fortified Rice Kernels) manufacturers/licensed them, developed various quality certification standards/guidelines for packaging and stencilling of finished products and mapping the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accredited labs under the states which may test the various quality parameters of FRK/FR.

Furthermore, Food Fortification Resource Centre (FFRC) a unit of FSSAI,  functioning as a resource hub for fortification will provide assistance to the Food Business Operators (FBO), Millers, States, FCI etc/facilitate training & capacity building (FBO’s, rice millers, FPS owners, FSO’s etc.) and monitor & evaluate the programme with support from development partners, it said.