Oct 11, 2017
Creating ecosystem for safe food items rests with citizens, food businesses, regulator, says FSSAI chief
MANGALURU: Pawan Kumar Agarwal, chief executive officer of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said that creating an ecosystem for safe foods rests on three pillars viz., responsible citizen, food businesses and the regulator.
Addressing an ASSOCHAM summit in New Delhi, he said, "We have to go a long way in basically figuring out, educating our consumers and citizens as to what food is safe and how to have it, these are issues we are working on with lot of stakeholders to create demand for safe food."
He explained that the idea of the food regulator is to curb the tendency of consuming undesirable food items, enable the industry to produce safe and wholesome food which is also expected of them and finally constant improvement in food standards.
"While our effort has been to provide a light-touch regulation in the food sector, we have worked relentlessly over the past three years to provide standards that are globally benchmarked and I am happy to share with you that most of food standards have either been released or are in final stages of being released," said Agarwal.
Talking about the compliance of food standards, he said, "Ensuring compliance of these standards is an extremely weak area, we are aware of the problems in this space and particularly because though FSSAI Act expected uniform application of food law across the country, this is really not happening."
He further said that going ahead FSSAI would focus on compliance of Food Safety Laws in letter and spirit.
"The expectation from food businesses is also that engagement with government and regulator is not only confined to pain points that food businesses have but engagement is more of a 360-degree approach where-in you work with the government and regulator to ensure that together we create a more robust and safe ecosystem for food sector in our country," added the FSSAI chief.
Govt to set up mini food parks, bats for direct farm sourcing
New Delhi, Oct 10 (PTI) The government will focus on setting up of mini food parks to raise the processing level, Union Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti said today and asked the industry to buy agri items directly from farmers to boost their income.
Jyoti, who is Minister of State for Food Processing, said all 42 sanctioned mega food parks will be operational by 2019.
She assured the industry that the ministry will consider and take up any of their concern related to GST.
Addressing an Assocham conference on FMCG, the minister said the government will facilitate setting up of 'mini food park' across the country on smaller land parcel to boost food processing level.
This will be done under the new Rs 6,000 crore SAMPADA scheme approved by the government recently, she added.
The ministry provides subsidy of up to Rs 50 crore to set up a mega food park.
There is a need, Jyoti said, to increase the food processing level to reduce wastage of farm produce.
The minister felt that farmers' income will not be doubled unless their produce is procured directly.
The processing sector will also get their raw material at cheaper rates and better quality if they buy agri produce directly from farmers, she suggested.
Apart from food security, the minister said there is a need to focus on food safety.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) CEO Pawan Kumar Agarwal said the regulator came out with standards of various products in the last few years which are globally benchmarked and some are in the pipeline.
The FSSAI, he added, is open to making changes in standards based on the feedback of stakeholders.
"As we move forward, we will focus on compliance of food safety law in letter and spirit," he said, citing examples of some provisions not being followed by the industry.
To improve compliance of food safety law, Agarwal said the FSSAI is modernising food labs across the country and is also ensuring inspection is being done in objective and transparent manner.
"We depend on states' enforcement machineries for compliance of food standards. We are making efforts on capacity building of regulatory staff," he said.
Agarwal said further that the regulator plans to make it mandatory for every food business to have at least one food supervisor and informed that as many as 16 courses have been launched to provide training as well as certificates.
The FSSAI CEO stressed on the need to chalk out a strategy to enhance food safety and hygiene in the unorganised sector.
The FSSAI is also preparing a corporate management index to nudge the food businesses to engage with the government and work towards the overall objective of providing safe and wholesome food to people, Agarwal added.
Food Safety Licence must for hotels, restaurants
Rajamahendravaram: District Food Safety Officer Y Panduranga Rao said that food safety licence was must for every restaurant and hotels per rules. He said that inspection of food items in hotels and restaurants comes under the purview of food safety department and added that stern action would be taken against the owners that fail to get the food safety licence.
After conducting raids on some hotels in the city, he said the seized food items will be sent to food testing laboratory in Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University-Kakinada (JNTUK). He said non-vegetarian hotels and restaurant managements should purchase meat, chicken, etc., after the certification of a veterinary doctor.
Also, he said the hotel managements should make sure to buy the groceries from shops having food safety licence as per rules and to keep the vegetables in warm water for 10 minutes before they are used for cooking.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference in the press club, Hotel and Restaurants Association president Kosuri Subba Raju alleged that some persons in the name of National Consumer Rights (NCR) have been creating panic among the hotel managements in the guise of inspections.
He said that NCR has no right to inspect the hotels and restaurants.A complaint was also lodged with the police and the issue was taken to the notice of AP State Hotels and Restaurants Association and food safety officers, he said.
Food Safety Dept. cautions FBOs
Further, the Department urges all the owners of Bakery, Sweetmeat manufacturers/shops of A&N Islands to maintain strict personal hygiene, cleanliness and also wear proper dress code during business hours. The FBOs are also advised to adhere to Good Manufacturing and Hygiene Practices. Any laxity during inspection will invite legal action under the relevant sections of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
All the general public is hereby requested to pass on contraventions found if any on food safety to the Commissioner of Food Safety, A&N Islands at No. 03192-231024/9434280018 or on District Control Room No. 1070 for strict actions against violators.
Indira Canteens have necessary licences: food safety officer
A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice H G Ramesh and Justice P S Dinesh Kumar disposed of the PIL filed by a law student.
The petitioner had conducted a local investigation and videographed the ‘poor conditions’ of some Indira Canteens that had commenced without obtaining the necessary approvals as mandated in the statute.
The petitioner’s counsel argued that the Indira Canteens were not licensed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) as mandated by the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
The counsel also informed the court that the canteens lacked basic infrastructure such as hand wash basin and drinking water.
After hearing the PIL, the bench asked to summon the BBMP representative and food and safety commissioner to verify the allegation.
Harshavardhan B , joint commissioner of food and safety, informed the court that all the valid licences had been obtained to run the canteens and the same have been displayed at the outlets.
HC disposes of PIL on Indira canteen licence
Govt. says all canteens have a licence
The High Court on Tuesday disposed of a PIL petition complaining that Indira canteens are serving food without a food safety licence after the government pointed out that all the canteens have obtained licences under Section 31 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
A Division Bench comprising acting Chief Justice H.G. Ramesh and Justice P.S. Dinesh Kumar disposed the petition filed by Keertivardhan Joshi, a student of a city-based law college.
Earlier, it was argued on behalf of the petitioner that Indira canteens, run by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) as per State government’s scheme, have not obtained licenses under the law and no certificate of licenses have been displayed on some of the canteens.
However, the counsel for the BBMP has said that the certificate of licence has been displayed in the canteens.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)