The
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) organised a meet
to discuss the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006 and
Regulations (FSSR), 2011 in Mumbai recently.
A number of critical issues, such as the food import clearance system, the new FSSA regulations and the registration and licensing were discussed at the meeting.
S N Mohanty, chief executive officer, FSSAI, and Raghu Guda, general manager, National Institute for Smart Government (NISG), addressed the gathering, attended by about 80 delegates, comprising members of the Association of Food Scientists and Technologists (India) [AFST(I)], importers and food business operators (FBOs).
Replying to an importer's query about the US FDA Modernisation Act and the loopholes in the Indian regulations, Mohanty replied, “The US FDA Modernisation Act is not a super bus for FSSAI. We have our own regulations, and a lab report is not a certificate for safety of the import consignments. Scientific panels decide the safety of the food products and hence the final decision lies with my scientific panel teams.”
While discussing the regulations and the new Act, Mohanty emphasised that safety and security of food items should be the priority of the importers. He also requested all the importers to apply for licences and also make the transporters aware about the importance of having licences. Any person whose annual turnover is less than Rs 12 lakh should register with FSSAI, and those whose annual turnover exceeds Rs 12 lakh should obtain a licence from the nation's apex food regulator.
One of the importers, whose consignment of dietary supplements has been delayed for the last six months, questioned the uniformity of FSSAI regulations.
To this, Guda replied, “The regulations for dietary supplements are not yet out. It is a long process and we are going through it. Earlier the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act, 1954, was in force. It merely looked into the quality of the food and not on food safety. The new Act has made the procedure a little difficult, but then the importers should obey the regulations.”
The provisions of the new law do not explain ingredients like sucralose. But Mohanty urged consumers, FBOs and stakeholders to follow the existing Act.
Hailing the new law as ideal for food safety in the country, Mohanty said, “Our effort is also to create a single window system for an effective implementation of the new FSSA regulation.”
The importers asked for clarity in the import clearance regulations, citing the issues that crop up when the food products are held back.
“It is the duty of every importer to look into the aspect of the necessary documents for the clearance and comply with the new law,” Mohanty said, adding that it was enough to comply with the USFDA approval.
A number of critical issues, such as the food import clearance system, the new FSSA regulations and the registration and licensing were discussed at the meeting.
S N Mohanty, chief executive officer, FSSAI, and Raghu Guda, general manager, National Institute for Smart Government (NISG), addressed the gathering, attended by about 80 delegates, comprising members of the Association of Food Scientists and Technologists (India) [AFST(I)], importers and food business operators (FBOs).
Replying to an importer's query about the US FDA Modernisation Act and the loopholes in the Indian regulations, Mohanty replied, “The US FDA Modernisation Act is not a super bus for FSSAI. We have our own regulations, and a lab report is not a certificate for safety of the import consignments. Scientific panels decide the safety of the food products and hence the final decision lies with my scientific panel teams.”
While discussing the regulations and the new Act, Mohanty emphasised that safety and security of food items should be the priority of the importers. He also requested all the importers to apply for licences and also make the transporters aware about the importance of having licences. Any person whose annual turnover is less than Rs 12 lakh should register with FSSAI, and those whose annual turnover exceeds Rs 12 lakh should obtain a licence from the nation's apex food regulator.
One of the importers, whose consignment of dietary supplements has been delayed for the last six months, questioned the uniformity of FSSAI regulations.
To this, Guda replied, “The regulations for dietary supplements are not yet out. It is a long process and we are going through it. Earlier the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act, 1954, was in force. It merely looked into the quality of the food and not on food safety. The new Act has made the procedure a little difficult, but then the importers should obey the regulations.”
The provisions of the new law do not explain ingredients like sucralose. But Mohanty urged consumers, FBOs and stakeholders to follow the existing Act.
Hailing the new law as ideal for food safety in the country, Mohanty said, “Our effort is also to create a single window system for an effective implementation of the new FSSA regulation.”
The importers asked for clarity in the import clearance regulations, citing the issues that crop up when the food products are held back.
“It is the duty of every importer to look into the aspect of the necessary documents for the clearance and comply with the new law,” Mohanty said, adding that it was enough to comply with the USFDA approval.
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