CII Recommends Actionable Agenda for Effective Implementation

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) calls for effective implementation of food safety and standards regulations under the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Multiple agencies specifying mandatory requirements for food products need to be looked into with focus on harmonizing inter-ministerial standards, says a CII press release. This would cut down the current operational and compliance complexities faced by the industry.

“The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India seeks to introduce a paradigm shift in the food regulatory environment in the country, bringing India at par with international regulations. While the new rules and regulations are welcome step, there is need to address several challenges that are likely to hamper its effective implementation,” said Mr. Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII.

The FSSAI has recently notified the Food Safety and Standards Rules and Regulations, 2011, which brings into force a new set of requirements for compliance by the food industry.

In a survey of food businesses conducted by CII on impact of the new Regulations, some major bottlenecks in effective implementation of FSSAI were highlighted.

Inadequate preparedness of the implementation machinery coupled with lack of awareness and clarity amongst industry and enforcement officers especially with respect to licensing provisions are the foremost issues identified by the CII survey. Existence of multiplicity of agencies governing food and duplication of mandatory licenses, inadequate centre-state coordination, severe shortage of laboratory infrastructure, trained officials for testing and analysis, inadequacy of field level officers are some of the key regulatory and infrastructure challenges faced.

Absence of standardization of sampling and analytical methods and similar procedural constraints, have been highlighted as major impediments in the new regulatory regime, according to the CII survey.

The CII statement adds that while licensing and registration processes have been notified under rules and regulations, there needs to be an enabling transitory regime to allow the industry to meet these new requirements and realize the benefits from modern and scientific regulatory framework, as envisaged in the Act.

CII has made following recommendations to make the legislation effective and sustainable:

• More clarity and awareness regarding jurisdiction of licenses and renewal processes is needed. Awareness programmes for all stakeholders and proper training to implementing authorities including food safety officers, analysts, etc would facilitate compliance of rules and regulations.

• Capacity building for food testing and analysis, specifying sampling procedures as well as focus on creating adequate accredited laboratory infrastructure that meets international standards, is the need of the hour.

• Going forward, revision of existing regulatory standards for keeping pace with scientific advancements; scientific and technical evaluation of new and upcoming regulations like recall, import, nutrition guidelines, etc need to be taken up by the regulatory authority.

• Building on consumer awareness and creating a demand-driven compliance regime would help inculcate food safety culture.

Finally, to create an enabling regime of food safety, there is need to identify key issues such as food borne illnesses, and linking these back to process failures in the system. This will require building the appropriate food-borne disease surveillance infrastructure and appropriate recall systems in the country, added the CII press release.