Know what you eat!

With the amendment of Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA), 1954, the newly formed Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, makes it binding on all the eateries, dhabas to obtain a licence and register the eatery with Food and Drug Administration Department.

The Act states that every street food vendors with an annual turnover of less than Rs12 lakh will have to obtain a certificate. Those having a turnover of over Rs 12 lakh will have to obtain a license. The licensing fee is Rs 100 per year while registration fees are around Rs 2000. The obtainer can apply for a license and registration for a period of five years.
Chandrashekhar Salunke, assistant commissioner, Food, FDA, Pune district, said, "All establishments are made mandatory to obtain license from FDA, only to function smoothly. This decision will curb and bring down the low quality of food and hygienic conditions while preparing will be maintained."
“It is a good decision to implement the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations 2011. Unfortunately, actual regular inspection is not done by concerned authority. Mere imposing new regulation will not solve the hygiene problem. As we see generally same cloth is used to clean the utensils all day long, the food cooked in the morning is served for the whole day creates hygiene problems. Encroachments, hotel parking problems can be solved at the initial stage only,” said Dinesh Hole, member, Zonal Railway Committee.
FDA Commissioner, Mahesh Zagade said, "The officials of our department are into action since last two months. FDA will be taking strict action against the people who sell edible products and do not hold license issued by FDA. We have also started a new software for the people who want to start their business and process online admission. FDA website has all information related to license, registrations, organisations registered, etc."
The owner of a restaurant Rakesh Tribhuvan said, "The civic body takes so much bribe, which we cannot afford and it would take at least eight years for common people like us to get license. Therefore, I have applied in the normal process and I am waiting for my turn to come."
Sagar Adhav, who is a resident of Taboot Street, shared his point of view, "Licenses should be made compulsory for all. However the process should be made quick and efficient and there should not be long waiting time for it. Small shop owners provide good tasty food at affordable rates and I believe 80 per cent of the citizens like to eat at places like these."
We also spoke to Hameed Ansari who runs a sandwich stall at MG road and told us, "If we apply for license, then we have to shell out huge amount of money and no one bothers to check it. Once in a month, anti-encroachment van of PCB comes to pick up the hand cart, we pay them some amount and get out handcart back. This is how I have been managing my business for the last 7 years."
Vikram Bhide, a resident of Bhopla Chowk who enjoys eating food at the food joints, said, "I don't know why the government has to trouble the lower middle class when they cannot do any good to them. These are poor people who work hard in order to earn their bread and butter. They are honest, innocent people. The reason why they put handcart is because they cannot afford to have a restaurant. The government should spare these people."