Registration mandatory for eateries in HP

Online licensing and registration of all food business establishments in Himachal Pradesh has been made mandatory and this should be done by February 4, this year.

A spokesman of the State Government said here that all food business operators, including pansari shops, dhabas, restaurants, hotels, guesthouses, canteens, stall owners, milk and egg shop owners, meat shop owners, civil supply shops, stores, depots, wine shops, agriculture and horticulture store/depot, Railway, Airport, Military and paramilitary food store/depot, Government and semi-Government and hospital canteens and catering business operators should register their business establishments besides getting online licence by February 4.

Registration of food outlets made mandatory in Himachal

He said that the food business operators who would not register their establishments by February 4, 2014 would be fined Rs 100 per day under Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006.

The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to make online licensing and registration of all food business establishments in the state mandatory from February 4 this year, an official spokesman said here. 

"All food business operators including pansari shop, dhaba, restaurant, hotel, guest house, canteen, stall owners, meat shop owners, civil supply shop, wine shop, canteens of railway, airport, military and para-military, government and semi-government establishments, would have to register their businesses, besides getting online licence by February 4," the spokesman said. 

He said those failing to register their establishments by February 4 would be imposed a fine of Rs 100 per day under the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006. 

Himachal Food Registration

Online Licensing and Registration of all Food Business Establishments has been made mandatory in Himachal Pradesh from February 4, 2014. Failing to do so by given date would invite daily fine of Rs 100. Food business operators who would not register their establishments by February 4 would be fined Rs 100 per day under Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006.

Food business sans license to attract penalties

DIMAPUR, JAN 18 (NPN): Directorate of health and family welfare has warned Food Business Operators (FBOs) in the state that running their business without obtaining mandatory license or registration would attract a penalty of Rs. 5 lakh and imprisonment up to 6 months under section 63 of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

In a press released, principal director and additional food safety commissioner Dr. Neiphi Kire said all urban and rural based Food Business Operators in the state have been directed to obtain license or register their food business under Food Safety and Standards Act before February 4, 2014.

FBOs directed to obtain license, register food business before Feb 4

In pursuance of Food Safety and Standards (packaging and labeling) Regulation, 2011, chapter 1 of sub-rule 1.2 (1.2.1), Dr. Neiphi also directed all local food products/homemade food for sale, stores, distribution for sales were (a) to be properly sealed in food grade plastic container or polyethylene and carry information on the name of the food; (b) date of manufacture or packaging; ingredients used or added; (c) net weight/volume/number; (d) lot number/batch number/code number; (e) best before and use by date/expiry date.

The information on the package should be duly printed and not use a sticker. 

The business should be registered under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and Food Safety and Standards (packaging and labeling) Regulation, 2011. 

Non compliance to this directive would be an offence, punishable under the Act and Rules, said the press release. 

15,259 food business operators enrolled

A total of 15,259 food business operators from various parts of Tuticorin district have been enrolled in Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

Of the total operators, 3, 963 food business units are being maintained by government agencies and 11, 296 are private operators, according to M. Jagadis Chandrabose, District Designated Officer, FSSAI.

As per the Food Safety Standards Act, 13, 936 operators have registered and 843 operators obtained licences until December, 2013.

Dr. Chandrabose said here on Saturday that registration and licencing of food business entities had become mandatory as per the Act.

Citing the necessity of completing such formalities, he said the Commissioner of Food Safety ordered that February 4, 2014 would be the last date for all food business operators to get themselves registered with the FSSAI.

Must comply with order

Food restaurants and food producers in the form of packing, wholesale business, distribution, retail, export and import must comply with the order.

Under this formality, food processors, road side eateries and platform vendors would also be liable either to register or obtain licences based on their annual turnover.

Any operator, whose annual turnover is less than Rs. 12 lakh, must register by paying a sum of Rs. 100 as registration fee and if an operator’s annual turnover is over Rs. 12 lakh, he or she must obtain licence, Dr. Chandrabose added.

Violators would have to pay a penalty of Rs.5 lakh and he might also undergo a six-month rigorous imprisonment according to the FSSAI. Hence, he appealed to the operators to access website: www.thhealth.org/foodsafety.html and also on www.foodlicensing.fssai.gov.in for registration and licensing.

Health Department all set to register liquor vends

Amritsar, January 18

With the state government bringing liquor vends under the purview of the Food Safety and Standards Act, the Health Department is all set to register these. As the deadline for registration under the Act ends on February 4, the owners have been asked to apply at the earliest. 

District Health Officer Dr Shivkaran Singh Kahlon said the Food and Drug Commissioner had earlier written a letter to the Excise and Taxation Department and had conveyed the development to it. He said all liquor shops with an annual turnover of over Rs 12 lakh were required to obtain a licence while those with a less turnover were required to get registered. 

He said around 650 food businesses in the city had so far obtained the licence. Kahlon said as the deadline for registration or getting the licence under the Act ended on February 4, the food businesses must hurry. 

Failure to register or obtain the licence would result in six months of imprisonment or a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh, said Kahlon, adding that all unregistered food businesses would be considered as illegal after the process for registration was complete on February 4. 

Dr Kahlon said the liquor contractors would have to file a separate application for each of the vends operated by them. 

The registration is mandatory for all food businesses involved at any stage of processing, manufacturing, catering or transportation. Kahlon said even karyana shops selling ingredients and chemist shops were required to register or obtain licence according to their annual turnover. 

Kahlon said as there were only few days left of the allotted time, the department was keen on registering more and more businesses. “The deadline for this had already been extended three times on separate occasions. And it is learnt that it will not be extended this time, so it is advisable that people must follow the instructions,” he said.

Weaning food nutritious, but not so palatable

An anganwadi worker holds up a package of weaning food mix, at an angawadi centre in Puducherry. 

For the past few years, young children have been given weaning food through Integrated Child Development Scheme to help improve their nutrition. These weaning supplements are provided in the form of powder that is rolled into a ‘laddoo’ and given to children. Unfortunately, despite being provided these supplements, many children in Puducherry refuse to eat the food.

In both Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, the lactating mothers and young children are given this weaning supplement, which is packed in plastic bags and given to the mothers once every 15 days. Between the State and the Union Territory, however, there is a world of difference.

In Puducherry, the weaning supplement is supplied through the Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas Scheme, where individuals prepare the supplement given to anganwadis. Since there is no central kitchen to prepare these foods, there is very little consistency, former Coordinator for the Food and Nutrition Board Thirunavukkarasu said.

In Villupuram, however, all the weaning food is packaged under one roof at the Weaning Food Society in Chinna Salem. This ensures a certain amount of consistency in the packaging, he said.

The problem in Puducherry, however, is that many children that come to the anganwadi centres refuse to eat the weaning supplement that is provided, since it is lumpy. As a result, much of the food is wasted, one of the anganwadi workers, Saraswati, said. The Tamil Nadu anganwadi workers, however, did not seem to indicate that this was a problem.

“The children here are given 130 grams of the powder mixed with water as a laddoo at the centre itself. It is usually given as two or three laddoos, so the children do not struggle to eat it,” Uma a worker said.

The main difference between the two weaning supplements is the addition of ‘amylase’. With amylase, the amount of water is reduced and the children find it easier to digest the food, Mr. Thirunavukkarasu said.

In terms of nutritional values, however, the Puducherry version has more protein and more calories, which on paper seems ideal. In Tamil Nadu, the weaning food mix contains amylase. It has 52 per cent wheat and maize, 5 per cent amylase, 12 per cent roasted Bengal gram, 30 per cent jaggery and one per cent pre-mix which contains vitamins and minerals.

In Puducherry, on the other hand, there is no amylase added, and there is 40 per cent wheat, five per cent ragi, 25 per cent dried gram and 30 per cent jaggery. Since the amount of dried gram is higher, there is a higher protein content. But without amylase and maize, the mixture seems dry and tasteless, Mr. Thirunavukkarasu said.

Unless the situation is rectified, the provision of weaning food could be a total waste, he said.

(This story has been facilitated under the One World-POSHAN fellowship grant)

Preparation of weaning food not consistent; mix not easily digestible