NEW DELHI: India’s apex food regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), is facing a wave of public anger online, with hashtags such as #FSSAI and #FoodScamAuthority trending on X. The backlash reflects growing public concern over food adulteration, enforcement gaps, corruption cases, and repeated findings that unsafe food continues to reach Indian households despite regulatory oversight.
The trend escalated after a viral post by satirical X handle @khurpenchh, which warned, “FSSAI, we are coming.” The post gathered massive traction within hours and marked the latest phase of the “Khurpenchi Abhiyan”, a sustained social media campaign that accuses the regulator of failing in its core mandate of protecting public health.
Why FSSAI Is Under Fire
The anger surrounding FSSAI is not limited to memes or satire. It reflects years of accumulated frustration over repeated official data, audits, and media investigations pointing to widespread food quality failures across India.
Multiple government and independent assessments over the past decade have shown that a significant proportion of food samples tested across states fail to meet prescribed standards, particularly in staples such as milk, edible oils, spices, sweets, and street food. State food safety departments have repeatedly reported issues such as dilution, misbranding, non-permitted additives, artificial colouring, and unhygienic preparation conditions.
In several nationwide and state-level drives, double-digit failure rates have been recorded for commonly consumed food items, raising questions about the effectiveness of routine surveillance and follow-up enforcement.
Public confidence in food safety enforcement appears to be weakening. A large multi-district public health survey cited in policy analyses found that nearly 73% of respondents expressed little or no confidence in regulatory authorities’ ability to ensure food safety, citing weak inspections and limited visible action against repeat offenders.
Auditor observations and investigative reports have also highlighted structural gaps, including:
• Shortages of food safety officers and analysts in several states
• Delays in laboratory testing and prosecution
• Low conviction rates in food adulteration cases
• Heavy reliance on state machinery with uneven enforcement standards
Experts note that these gaps allow violations to persist even after repeated crackdowns.
Enforcement Gaps and Corruption Cases
FSSAI’s credibility has also been dented by corruption-related incidents. In 2024, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested an FSSAI official on bribery charges linked to licensing approvals, with investigations later uncovering disproportionate assets.
While FSSAI has stated that such cases are isolated incidents, critics argue they expose systemic vulnerabilities in licensing and inspection mechanisms, particularly where approvals rely heavily on documentation rather than physical verification.
High-Profile Food Safety Failures
Several major food safety controversies have further eroded public trust:
• The Maggi noodles episode, which exposed inconsistencies in testing and enforcement
• Repeated seizures of adulterated ghee, milk, and edible oils across multiple states
• Reports of mislabelled fortified foods, raising concerns over oversight of health claims
• Poor hygiene compliance among licensed street food vendors despite repeated drives
Each episode has reignited debate over whether enforcement actions are preventive or largely reactive.
Health Impact and Weak Deterrence
Public health experts warn that long-term consumption of adulterated or substandard food increases health risks and worsens India’s non-communicable disease burden. While social media posts frequently link food adulteration directly to rising cancer rates, experts caution that such claims require scientific validation and should not be overstated.
Critics also point out that the shift from stricter criminal penalties under older food laws to monetary fines in many cases has weakened deterrence, allowing offenders to treat penalties as a cost of business rather than a serious consequence.
The Khurpench campaign has amplified these concerns using satire and viral storytelling, framing FSSAI as an institution that has lost its enforcement edge. Through memes, threads, and visual comparisons, the campaign questions why unsafe food repeatedly passes regulatory checks and why accountability remains limited even after repeated scandals.
While many of the campaign’s claims reflect public opinion and satire rather than official findings, it has succeeded in pushing food safety into mainstream public discourse.
Silence, Response, and a Wake-Up Call
As the backlash intensified, FSSAI’s official X handle did not directly address the allegations, continuing instead with routine public health advisories. The absence of a direct response has further fueled criticism and calls for transparency, audits, and stronger enforcement.
FSSAI has previously maintained that food safety enforcement is a shared responsibility with state governments and has pointed to nationwide inspection drives and tighter product approval norms as evidence of ongoing action.
Experts warn that without deeper structural reforms, including stronger inspections, faster prosecutions, higher penalties, and transparent reporting, public trust in India’s food regulator will continue to erode.
For now, the trending hashtags serve as a clear signal of public frustration. Whether this moment leads to meaningful reform or fades as another social media storm may determine the future credibility of India’s food safety watchdog.
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