Bhanu Pratap Sharma appointed as Chairperson of FSSAI

Union Government has appointed Bhanu Pratap Sharma as Chairperson Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
Presently, he is Health and Family Welfare Secretary was given additional charge of FSSAI for three months. Sharma is an IAS officer of 1981 batch from Bihar cadre.

About Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)

FSSAI is a nodal statutory agency responsible for protecting and promoting public health in India through the regulation and supervision of food safety.
FSSAI was established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and operates under aegis of Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
Functions: FSSAI has been established to lay down science based standards for various food products in order ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption. It also regulates the manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import of food products for human consumption.
Structure: It is led by a non-executive Chairperson. The executive head of FSSAI is the Chief Executive Officer.
Headquarters: New Delhi. It also has 8 regional offices located in Delhi, Guwahati, Mumbai, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Cochin and Chennai. It has 4 referral laboratories and 72 local laboratories located across India.

Month: Current Affairs - July, 2015