Food Safety Regulation brings new hope for Tea quality

Tea Board of India is all set to implement Food Safety and Standards Regulation, 2011 in total spirit in all aspects of the tea industry.

As per the regulatory guidelines set up by the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI), all organizations managing food and beverage operation are required to implement good hygiene practices, good manufacturing practices and fulfill the requirements of Codex HACCP guidelines.

The Tea Board has already started awareness drives in association with CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) – FACE (Food and Agriculture Centre of Excellence) among all the stake holders in tea industry in tea growing region.

As per the Food Safety & Standards Act (FSSA), 2011, all food business operators, involved in processing, packaging, distribution, storage and transportation will come under the purview of regulations and have to procure license or get them registered with FSSAI as per their turnover to carry out business prior to February 4, 2014.

P Chakraborty, councellor of CII–FACE said the objective of the Act is to consolidate various laws relating to food in India for laying down science based standards for food, to regulate, manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and export/import of food products, to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.

“The overall objective of the Act is to improve quality of food and beverages. The Act is very strict and any violation by the concern person will invite stringent penalties,” Chakborty said.

Under the new Act, the Contaminants in Tea should be in the following forms:

Metal contaminant	Parts per million by weight on dry tea
Lead	10.0
Copper	150.0
Arsenic	3.0
Tin	250.0
Zinc	50.0

Chakraborty said the Act also lays norms for presence of chemicals in tea. According to the new norms–pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, weedicides, microbials are to be used in tea garden as per the approved list of TRA/ UPASI, and will have to be sprayed as per their recommended dosages.

The Act also asks to maintain sufficient gap of number of days in between spraying and plucking at the tea estates.