India and Bhutan Strengthen Food Safety Partnership at Global Summit
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Bhutan Food and Drug Authority (BFDA) held a bilateral meeting during the Global Food Regulators Summit in New Delhi. The meeting focused on implementing a food safety agreement signed in March, aiming to enhance food safety standards and simplify trade between the two nations.
Key Discussions
Key discussions included capacity-building and technical cooperation. The primary goal is to facilitate smoother trade by recognizing the official control exercised by the BFDA over food business operators within Bhutan.
Statements from Leaders
FSSAI CEO G. Kamala Vardhana Rao highlighted the significance of the partnership, stating, “Today’s meeting marks a pivotal development in our partnership with Bhutan in the area of food safety and trade facilitation.”
BFDA Director Gyem Bidha acknowledged the leadership of FSSAI in setting global food safety standards and emphasized the Agreement’s importance in facilitating safe food trade between India and Bhutan.
Attendees
The meeting was attended by senior officials from both countries, including representatives from the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and the Royal Bhutanese Embassy in New Delhi.
Doubts Revealed
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) -: FSSAI is an organization in India that makes sure the food we eat is safe and healthy. They set rules and check if food companies follow them.
Bhutan Food and Drug Authority (BFDA) -: BFDA is a similar organization in Bhutan. They also make sure that food and medicines in Bhutan are safe for people to use.
Global Food Regulators Summit -: This is a big meeting where people from different countries come together to talk about how to keep food safe. It was held in New Delhi, which is the capital city of India.
bilateral meeting -: A bilateral meeting is a discussion between two groups or countries. In this case, it was between India and Bhutan.
food safety agreement -: This is a special deal or contract between India and Bhutan to make sure that the food in both countries is safe to eat.
capacity-building -: This means helping people or organizations get better at what they do. For example, training people to check food safety better.
technical cooperation -: This means sharing knowledge and tools to help each other. For example, India and Bhutan might share new ways to test if food is safe.
G. Kamala Vardhana Rao -: He is the CEO of FSSAI, the organization in India that checks food safety.
Gyem Bidha -: She is the Director of BFDA, the organization in Bhutan that checks food and drug safety.
