The Nestle Research and Development (R&D) Centre on Wednesday said it has inaugurated the first Nestle Food Safety Institute (NFSI) in the country to develop a collaborative approach towards ensuring safe food.

According to the company, NFSI India, -- a part of Nestle R&D Centre India located in Manesar -- will work closely with the Nestle Research Center in Lausanne, Switzerland."The mission of NFSI India is to build and share knowledge through collaborative partnerships for strengthening the food safety environment in India," a company statement said.It added that the laboratory of NFSI India is equipped with high-end analytical technology.

"The food safety environment in India is changing dynamically and so are the consumers. There is an increasing consciousness among them on the quality of food consumed," said Suresh Narayanan, Chairman and Managing Director, Nestle India."We at Nestle strongly believe that food has a significant influence on our health and there should be collaborative efforts between regulatory bodies and industry for catering to the health and safety of consumers."Nestle R&D Centre India, founded in 2012, is part of Nestle's global R&D network.