Only 50,000 out of 6 lakh traders have food safety licence

Of the six lakh food traders in the City, only 50,000 have procured food safety licences. It is a stupendous task to ensure safety standards in food processing industry in a city teeming with 10 million people, said BBMP Special Commissioner K R Niranjan at National Food Safety Forum (NFSF) — 2013, here on Monday.

Another major problem the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is trying hard to tackle is waste disposal especially by bulk waste generators such as hotels, malls, shopping complexes. “We are trying to have a dialogue with all hotel associations on effective use of waste generated by them. The response has been affirmative till date,” he added. He said although the Centre has introduced food safety act and rules, there is no effective implementation as yet.

NDRI (National Dairy Research Institute) Principal Scientist & Head Dairy Technology Division Dr Satish Kulkarni stressing the need to set up Food Safety Management Cell in City to curb ill-food practices followed by few food vendors and hotels, said suggestions from government representatives from food safety sector, civic body and other experts for the proposed plan would be solicited.  The NFSF 2013, organised by Centre for Sustainable Development in association with Food Safety Commissioner, IIM Bangalore, NDRI and CFTRI Mysore, is aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of implementation of Food Safety & Standards Act - 2006.

‘Change needed’

According to Bangalore Hoteliers’ Association President Vasudeva Adiga, certain clauses of existing Food Safety & Standards Act needs to be changed as it doesn’t apply to small hotels.

“Till date only 500 licences have been issued by BBMP to hotels coming under my association. BBMP just cannot issue licence to everyone, they have to check food sampling and take adequate steps. The civic body is just an implementation authority, the final decision to change the existing act lies in the hands of central government,” he said.

Need to create awareness on Food Safety Act stressed

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has roped in 12 agencies in which 500 people would work on the food safety auditing. Seventy private sector laboratories with  National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories accreditation would carry out the safety tests for the audits and these laboratories were in addition to the 72 State laboratories.
FSSAI director Dr S S Ghonkrokta said there was growing need for creating awareness of Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, among the retailers, wholesalers, small vendors and transporters, who now exceed over five crore after the act was implemented.
Addressing the inaugural function of the five-day workshop on Food Safety Standards Act 2006, here on Monday, Dr Ghonkrokta said all these sections need to be registered and licensed following the implementation of the act and it was important for them to understand their liabilities and how they contributed to the safety of food.
Citing an example of transporters, who should know how to handle goods so that they are properly stored and that they reach their destination safely, he said this was not done to create panic but to make everyone accountable as per the provisions of the act.
He said the FSSAI had started a campaign to organise registration melas for vendors to handle food.
Later talking on the sidelines of the inaugural function, Dr Ghonkrokta said one of the important aspects of the  food audit sepcified in the act, was self-audit, which is expected to be done by all those who handle food.
Dr Ghonkrokta said the FSSAI has entrusted Consumer Association of India to conduct a survey in five districts of Tamil Nadu to study consumer apprehensions in the wake of the  implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006.
The FSSAI director said the this was undertaken to identify the needs of the consumers and concerns of the rural people about the Act.
Dr Prathap Kumar Shetty, head of the Department of Food Science and Technology, Pondicherry University, and vice-chancellor J A K Tareen addressed the gathering at inaugural session of the workshop.

Traders find new food safety norms hard to digest

CHEW ON THIS: The stakeholders complained that adherence to all provisions would entail additional financial burden. File photo: S. Mahinsha

They want government to postpone deadline for licence renewal

Food vendors and traders in the State have opposed renewing of their licence from the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act to Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 in the face of State government’s revised February 5, 2013 deadline.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has directed the State governments to order those dealing food products to adhere to the provisions of the FSSA 2006, which has stringent provisions against food adulteration and quality among others. The government, which wanted the licence renewal six months ago, had set the fresh deadline.

Interactive meet

On Monday, traders and food vendors yet again expressed their discontent over the deadline at an interactive meet with the Jai Kumar, Joint Director, Public Health Institute, and Srinivasan, the Union government’s Designated Officer of the Central Licensing Agency, organised by the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI).

Not only that, they sought an extension of deadline by citing some of the provisions could not be adhered to by small vendors, and pointed out it would entail additional financial burden.

“There is a need for the State government to educate all the stakeholders of the Act before pressing for the renewal of the licences. If there are no awareness programmes, it may lead to harassment of traders particularly the less educated and those from rural backgrounds,” said FKCCI president K. Shiva Shanmugam.

Practical difficult

K.L. Ramanatha Bhat, ex-president, Karnataka Pradesh Hotels and Restaurants’ Association, said that the government had not addressed practical difficulties. “Implementing the Act will increase our expenditure. We will have to measure the food ingredients and small enterprises cannot follow all these protocols,” he said.

Bharat Kumar R. Shah, chairperson, Internal Trade Committee, FKCCI, pointed out that the Act provides discretionary powers to food inspectors, which may lead to harassment to traders. In that case, he said, there is a need to bring in international standard safety practices to pesticides and insecticides manufactured by MNCs.

Responding to their concerns, Mr. Srinivasan was confident proper implementation of the Act. “There will be initial difficulties but traders should renew their licence to implement the Act.”

Dinamalar