FDA penalises Royal Corn Flour for misbranding

PANAJI: Under the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, the Adjudicating Officer cum District Magistrate, North Goa has imposed a penalty of ` 25,000 on National Food Products, Mumbai for the manufacture and distribution of a misbranded food article in the name of Royal Corn Flour.

The label wrapper of the product did not bear the date of manufacture, lot numbers as well as date of packing which is in contravention of Section 26 (2) and 26 (2) (v) of the Food Safety Act that reads with the Chapter 2.2.2.3, 8 and 9 of the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labeling) Regulation 2011, states a FDA press release.

The sample of the food article was drawn during a complaint inspection of the Goa University faculty canteen operated at Taleigao plateau by John Menezes. The canteen was found to be unhygienic and during the inspection visit, FDA’s food safety officer Shailesh Shenvi had drawn a sample of Royal Corn Flour which was sent to the FDA laboratory in Bambolim for analysis.

The release also states that the analysis declared the said sample to be misbranded, whereby the label declaration on the product was not available and the misbranded product was purchased by the canteen person from Miramar-based food distributor Quick Marketing Bureau owned by Erasmo Araoujo who had in turn obtained the same from the main manufacturer National Food Products, Mumbai.

The food safety officer filed a civil proceeding before the District Magistrate cum Adjudicating Officer, North Goa under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, who after examining the said matter imposed a penalty fine of 25,000 on the manufacturer, whilst the distributor, Quick Marketing Bureau, and Goa University faculty canteen contractor John Menezes were imposed penalty fine of ` 10,000 each for dealing and selling a misbranded food article.