Bid to step up food safety measures

New Delhi, April 14: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) plans to register and issue licences to 55 million food and beverage companies, manufacturers and vendors, including those in the unorganised sector, by February 2014.

"The exercise is part of the organisation's efforts to harmonise food safety standards," FSSAI chairman K. Chandramouli said on the sidelines of an Indian Beverage Association (IBA) seminar.

The FSSAI has also sought Rs 5,000 crore from the government in the Twelfth Five-Year Plan (2012-17) to set up food safety laboratories. The proposal is awaiting clearance.

"We do not have food and safety standards in the country which deal with food products across the spectrum. For this, we need to get the state governments and other stakeholders on board," he added.

At present, only a million licences have been issued to food and beverage operators. According to Chandramouli, the implementation of the FSSAI act continues to remain a challenge.
The FSSAI was established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, as a statutory body for laying down scientific standards for food items and regulating manufacturing, processing, distribution, sale and import of food to ensure safe consumption.
The IBA experts said the industry expected the authorities to remove the roadblocks and give faster clearances to ingredients and new products without compromising on the safety and quality.
The IBA also suggested making Codex a reference point for national food control agencies. Codex standards, guidelines and codes of practice contribute to the safety, quality and fairness of global food trade.