Training on food standards act

MANGALORE: The Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) will organizing a half-day training programme on Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 at the meeting hall of the chamber on May 16.

The Union government has created Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) as a single reference point for all matters related to food safety and standards with the enactment of the act.

The act has been created for laying down science-based standards for food items and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import. This is aimed at ensuring the availability wholesome food for human consumption. The act makes it mandatory for all food business operators to get licences under a single licencing system at the central or state level. FSSAI was set up on August 5, 2011.

Food operators ranging from big hoteliers, small canteens and roadside vendors, wholesalers, retailers and stockists of food items including groceries have to obtain licence under the act either before the expiry of their existing license or by August 5, 2012, or whichever is earlier. Non compliance with the provisions of the act and its rules will amount to offence and will attract severe penalties or punishments.

M/s CQM Quality Management Pvt Ltd, Bangalore, food safety and food law experts, are the FSSAI approved certification body and training authority. Two experts from New Delhi with two assistants from Bangalore will conduct the programme. A fee of Rs 500 is fixed per participant. Interested should contact the KCCI office at the earliest.

Meet on food safety - THE HINDU

Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) is organising a training programme on food safety and standards on May 16. It will be held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the KCCI premises in Bunder. Experts from New Delhi with assistants from Bangalore will conduct the programme on Food Safety and Standards Act – 2006 (FSSA-2006).

DINAMALAR & INDIAN EXPRESS NEWS

Tea stall owners in Ooty, Karaikudi allege harassment by FSOs despite injunction

There is a remarkable sense of irony in this tale. At a time when plans are afoot to make tea India's national drink, a couple of associations in Tamil Nadu, whose members earn their livelihood selling the ubiquitous brew, have reported incidents of Inspector Raj.

Mohamed Jaffar, president, Ooty Hotel Owners' Association and proprietor, Ooty Coffee House, said, "On April 30, all food business operators (FBOs) in Ooty shut shop for a day to protest against the attitude of D Sivakumar, food safety officer (FSO)."

"The response to our call for a bandh was terrific. In fact, even those who are not engaged in food business lent their support. On May 2, we met the collector and told him that the FSO was asking for a bribe. We want him transferred to another district at the earliest," he said.

Karaikudi

Meanwhile, a statement issued by the Karaikudi Town Tea Stall Owners' Welfare Association, informed that Selladurai, an FSO, visited the Old Bus Stand and harassed the tea stall owners.

"He ordered that all tea stalls in the town be sealed. He issued a photocopy of Form A for registration and collected Rs 200 per head from the proprietors of these establishments," it stated.

Apart from Chola Tea Stall Corner at Sekkalai Road, the other stalls whose owners were harassed were Devi Tea Stall (Sakthivel); Arumugam Tea Stall (Navarathinam); Tamilian Tea Stall (Boominathan), etc.

"Selladurai also seized packets of murrukku and other homemade snacks. Although the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has granted the Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce an interim injunction on the Act, the FSOs continue to misuse their powers," the statement said.

"Dr Arulnambi, designated officer, Sivaganga District, is a gentleman and an honest official, but the food safety officers behave like police inspectors and take the law into their own hands." it concluded.

TN bakers' body seeks state food safety commissioner's appointment to discuss FSSA issues

On behalf of the office-bearers of the Tamil Nadu Bakers' Federation (TNBF), Manohar, its vice-president, wrote a letter to the state's food safety commissioner and principal secretary, health, seeking his appointment to discuss various Sections of the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006. The Sections pertaining to licensing and registration are high on their agenda.

"TNBF is the apex body of bakery associations and bakers in the southern state. It works with other organisations, such as the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII); the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI); the American Institute of Bakers (AIB) and other technological and scientific bodies; and is one of the leaders in bakery science and technology; knowledge-sharing and skill development," Manohar wrote, by way of introduction.

The letter also stated that the body conducts technical workshops; trade exhibitions and process demonstrations and imparts food safety education; and that it has recently started a food safety division. "It's been named Edesis-Soteria, after the Greco-Roman goddesses of feasting and safety. It will impart food safety training and facilitate the development of our members' and other food processors' skills," explained Manohar.

As far as the FSSA is concerned, Manohar wrote, "The rules and regulations of the Act and implementation of the same have created certain difficulties, uncertainties and misinformation. Instead of complete understanding and co-operation between the regulators and the food business operators (FBOs), a hostile situation seems to be developing, which needs speeding resolving."

He wrote, "Some food safety officers (FSOs) were autocratic, authoritative and also abusive, and misbehaved with the FBOs. This has sown the seeds of mistrust in them, which is not a healthy situation. That is why a delegation of TNBF office-bearers from various districts would like to meet you at your office in Chennai; apprise you on the various happenings; get clarity on the matters pertaining to the FSSA rules and their implementation."

As they wait for the food safety commissioner to revert, they wish to make one thing clear to everyone: "Only when we are sure that our dealings with the food safety officers and other authorities associated with the Act are absolutely transparent and based on mutual trust, which is the need of the hour, we will accept and comply with the rules." This was the concluding line of Manohar's letter.