Registration, licencing of business operators a must Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006

Mohali, April 16
Under the new Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, registration of all food business operators, which have an annual turnover of less than Rs 12 lakh, and licencing of all food business operators who have an annual turnover of more than Rs 12 lakh is mandatory.
The new guidelines were highlighted at an orientation programme for adjudicating officers and designated officers, food safety, regarding implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, organised by the Food Safety and Standards Authority, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, here today.
Additional Deputy Commissioners and district health officials have been notified by the government as adjudicating officers and designated officers, food safety, respectively.
Chairperson K Chandramouli, Dr SS Ghonkrokta, director (enforcement), Food Safety and Standards Authority, Government of India, Raji P Shrivastava, MD, Punjab Health Systems Corporation-cum-Commissioner food safety, Punjab, and Dr Satwant Bhalla, joint director, health, steered the programme with the assistance of technical resource persons.
Chandramouli stated that the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, replaced the old Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act, 1954. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had been established to lay down scientifically based standards for articles of foods and to regulate their manufacture, import, storage, distribution, sale and to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.
Earlier, under the PFA Act, all failed food sample cases were sent to courts for prosecution. But now under the new Act, the failed food samples and substandard results given by the food laboratory will be sent to the adjudicating officer of the respective districts for their disposal under the Act and the failed food sample cases injurious to health will be sent for prosecution to the courts after getting approval from the Commissioner, Food Safety.
Raji P Shrivastava advised the designated officers to promote general awareness about food safety and food standards in their respective districts through food business operator unions, local cable network, NGOs, etc.

No guarantee on water quality

The special squad formed by the food safety designated officer in the district raided eight tanker trucks that distribute drinking water and took samples from eight water sources from the Thiruvankulam and Irimpanam areas on Monday.
The raids were conducted after the squad received a tip-off that there had been a huge volume of contamination in the distribution of water across the district.
The squad, which was formed after a directive from the food safety commissioner, in its initial findings found that the source of water in Thiruvankulam and Irimpanam was contaminated.
Samples taken from tanker trucks and water sources are now sent to the chemical lab, where a detailed bacteriology test and chemical test will be done.
“The presence of E-coli will be examined in the bacteriology test, while the ISI standard of the water will be examined in the chemical test. If the water does not fall between ph 6.5 and ph 8.5, it is considered not suitable for drinking,” said K. Ajith Kumar, food safety designated officer, Ernakulam.
The squad has also directed drinking water distributing trucks to be compulsorily painted blue. Directives have also been given to hotels and houses in the district not to take water from trucks that have not been painted blue.
Meanwhile, mobile vigilance squads led by A. Muhammed Rafi have been conducting raids at the water sources and shops.
The squads have also directed hotel owners to check the purity of ice cubes used in restaurants.