Jan 28, 2012

PRESS RELEASE


Sensitising traders to Food Safety and Standards Act


Explaining the salient features of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, which has repealed the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act of 1954, the Food Safety Office, Coimbatore, sensitised the merchant community to the need for registration and obtaining licence.
Food safety and prevention of adulteration has been taken away from the local administration ministry and made a separate department under the Food Safety Authority of India. In the State, Food Safety Commissionerate and Designated Officers for Food Safety and Food Safety Officers come under the Department of Health and Family Welfare. The Act has come into being from August 5, 2011 and now the modalities have been finalised and enforcement has begun.
The Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006 will automatically repeal any other State legislation on food safety in force.
In Coimbatore, Designated Officer R. Kadiravan along with Food Safety Officers K. Chandran, K. Sakthivel and R. Ramachandran addressed the members of the merchant community recently to explain the features of the Act.
The Act brings roadside eateries, food stalls and vendors under its purview and also enables manufacturers of food items to write to the Food Safety authorities and recall their food products in the event of defective products or adulteration in their food items. As against the seven different licences for products coming under the Fruit Product Order, Meat Food Production Order, Vegetable Oil Product Control Order, Edible oil Packaging and Regulation Order 1988, Solvent Extracted Oil Order, Edible Flour Food Products Order, Milk Products Order 1992 and any other orders relating to products covered under Essential Commodities Act 1955, there is only one unified licence under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006.
The new order also calls for just a registration fee of Rs.100 for small food business while for businesses with higher turnover, licence is required for which the fee is Rs.2,000. For registration and licence, there is a time bound mechanism. If there is failure to issue registration within 30 days or to issue licence within 60 days, the applicant is at liberty to continue his business.
The Act has also given provision for appointment of private agencies, which will take up the registration and licence application procedure for merchants.
The Food Safety authorities here have planned to begin the enrolment for registration and licence by holding special camps at market places. List of private food laboratories with certification from National Accreditation Board for Calibration and Laboratories (NABL) has been circulated and the Government laboratories are also on the job of getting the NABL certification. Under the previous Act, during inspection, three samples used to be lifted. To prevent complaints of excesses, the new Act paves the way for picking up four samples and the manufacturer or shop owner is at liberty to send one of the samples to a private laboratory of his choice. In the event of difference in lab reports, then the samples could be sent to the referral laboratory. There are enough provisions to ensure food safety and prevention of adulteration and also to protect the merchant community from official high-handedness, the officials point out.

Unlicensed catering: Raj govt takes action against 4 officers

Jaipur, Jan 28 : A food safety officer has been suspended and three others were transferred after a report revealed that an unlicensed catering firm had served meals to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other VIPs during the recent Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here.
City-based in flight catering company Sky Feast from where the food was served to the VIPs was operating without food licence, a mandatory requirement under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
The tenth edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention was held here from January 7-9.
“AIR India had given the contract to serve the food to the catering company. Our food safety officers were deputed to take samples of the food to check its quality. The hotel was not having the food license and the officers did not take care of it, which is a negligence on their part,” an officer of state medical and health department said today.
Deputy Secretary (Medical and Health) Sunil Kumar Sharma in two separate orders issued yesterday suspended Shree Ram Mishra and transferred three officers — Sandeep Agrawal (son of K M Agrawal), Sandeep Agrawal (son of K L Agrawal) and Rajesh Tinkar — from Jaipur to Sirohi, Hanumangarh and Doongerpur, respectively.
“When the matter came to my knowledge on January 11, the hotel authorities claimed that Mishra demanded a bribe of Rs 10,000 to settle the matter following which I initiated an inquiry against him. Serious allegations were levelled against him. Mishra was suspended by the government as the matter is under investigation,” Chief Medical and Health Officer (Jaipur-II) Yatindra Singh said.
Singh, himself, has been served a notice over the entire episode as the four erring officials worked in his office.

Companies can be penalized for false information


According to the Food and Safety Standards Act, 2006, it is easier to sue a company that gives false information to consumers under the sales promotion. For the benefit of our readers, we try to highlight some of the facets of the Act.

THE FOOD Safety and Standards Authority of India Act, 2006 provides extra rights to sue a company which under the sales promotion gives false information. Section 24 of the Act puts restriction on misleading or deceiving any advertisement and under trade practices, promoting the sale, supply, usage and consumption of any food articles or adopt any unfair or deceptive practice or information which involves the following:

Falsely represents standards, quality, quantity or grade-composition
Makes a false or misleading representation about it usage
Gives you a guarantee of the efficacy without adequate scientific justification, thereof;
All the persons, manufacturers, dealers, importers of food items are required to comply with the above said provisions of the Act while advertising or disseminating information through direct or indirect promotional activities.
The Consumers while purchasing any food packet must read its expiry date and the nutritional information written on its label to confirm the authenticity of the same.
All the dealers, manufacturers are supposed to guard their consumers under the Act which came in force throughout the country effective 5th August, 2011.
The new Act repeals other Acts viz; Prevention of food adulteration, fruit products, solvent extracted oils, edible floor, meat food products, edible oils packing, vegetable oil products and milk products etc. It thus becomes our moral duty to inspect / read the food items thoroughly before any purchase is made.

3-day strike in mandis, biz worth Rs 8kcr hit & Food Grain Traders Call Off Strike (29.1.12)

JAIPUR: Several farmers returned dejected from foodgrain markets without selling their crops on Friday after foodgrain traders throughout the state went on a three-day strike to protest against the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006.

As many as 247 foodgrain markets in the state remained closed as the Rajasthan Khadya Padarth Vyapar Sangh (RKPVS) called for a three-day bandh. Edible oil and pulses mills too remained shut. RKVPS said business around Rs 8,000 crore has been badly affected owing to strike.

In Bharatpur, tea sellers and retailers kept their shops closed. In Jaipur, foodgrain markets in Surajpole mandi, Deenanathji ki Gali and wholesale dealers of tea joined the strike.

The loss includes daily sale of oilseeds (mustard, soyabean, groundnut, sesame) worth Rs1,500 crore, edible oil worth Rs 800 crore, pulses Rs1,200 crore, foodgrains Rs1,500 crore and dry spices worth Rs1,500 crore. Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006 was implemented in the state in August 2011. However, from January 1, the state made it compulsory for foodgrain traders to procure licence from the medical, health and family welfare department, and that too with an increased fee.

The Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act, 1954 was amended to form the new FSS Act. Under the newly-implemented FSS Act, 2006, foodgrains too will have to undergo inspection by the administration . Earlier, only cooked or packaged food was checked.

A chief medical and health officer said, "Earlier, we did not conduct raids at foodgrain storehouses as the licencing authority rested with the municipal bodies. However, under the new Act, the director (health) is now the food safety commissioner . The health and medical department is authorized to issue licences and at the same time check the licences of foodgrain traders."

The revised Act however, has not been welcomed by the traders who feel that as they just buy the grains from farmers and sell it off to dealers, they do not play any part in adulterating it, and therefore, should be kept out of it.

RKPVS president Babulal Gupta said, "The strike is our way of showing solidarity with traders across the country who protested against the Act. A meeting of Bhartiya Udhyog Vyapar Mandal was convened to demand rectification in the Act and intensify the protests across the country."

The traders also protested against the sharp rise in licence fee. Earlier the fee ranged between Rs 6 and Rs 12, but now it has gone up to Rs 2,000 and even up to Rs 7,500 in some cases , said Gupta. For a trader with a turnover of Rs 60 lakh, the fee should be Rs 20, while for those with a turnover of over Rs 60 lakh, it should be Rs 100, the traders demanded. 


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Food grain traders call off strike

JAIPUR: The three-day strike of food grain traders abruptly ended on its second day on Saturday when the state government assured the protesting traders of conveying their demands to the Centre.
Traders in the entire state opened their shops and normalcy was restored in the food grain markets.
The traders in the state had gone on strike, which was supposed to continue till Sunday, against the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act 2006 implemented in the state recently. Under the Act, the food grain traders have to procure license from the medical, health and family welfare department at an exorbitant fees. The traders were protesting against the licensing policy.

The Rajasthan Khadya Padarth Vyapar Sangh (RKPVS) office bearers met chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday to tell him their demands.

Since, the FSS Act was introduced by the Centre, the state government wrote to the Centre about the demands of traders. "The CM has directed principal secretary, health, to write to the Centre regarding our demands. Since the state government has written to Centre, we have decided to call off our strike," RKPVS president Babu Lal Gupta said.

Though the traders have called off the strike but have decided not to give up protest and plan to intensify their agitation against the FSS Act. "This is a national issue so the national traders' meet of Bhartiya Udhyog Vyapar Mandal will be held in February to take up the issue," Gupta added.

The RKPVS claimed that they went on strike just to send a message to traders in other states to raise their voice against the licensing policy under the Act.

The RKPVS officials said under the Act, the oil mills have to procure license from Delhi. They demanded that the provisions should be made for traders to procure licenses at state, district and tehsil levels.

Because of the strike around Rs 8,000 crore business was affected in the state on Friday.