Food Safety Dept for Stricter Enforcement

Commissioner for food safety Suresh Chanda (centre) at a seminar on food safety & standards organised at the Federation of TS & AP Chamber of Commerce and Indurtry in Hyderabad on Wednesday 

HYDERABAD: Though the State has lakhs of food eateries and business establishments only a handful of them are registered or licenced under the Food Safety and Standards Act, said Suresh Chanda, commissioner of Food Safety, Telangana on Wednesday.

Addressing a gathering of food entrepreneurs in Hyderabad, the commissioner said that only 14,000 food business establishments have been registered and 16,000 got licenses in Telangana. The low number of registration highlights the need for proper regulation and enforcement of food standards, he added.

All the food businesses either manufacturers of food products or a road side eatery have to either get registered or licensed. But many of the food business firms are operating without registration. This practice will not continue for long as regulation and enforcement of food safety norms will be made stringent in the future, stated Suresh Chanda.

“All the food establishments which manufactures, processes, distributes or sells food products in any form need to have a registration or license and should publish the ingredients used in the product clearly on the pack. Food safety is essential for health and to ensure that consumers health is not affected, food producers should not include sub-standard ingredients in their products or mislead the public about the product,” added Suresh Chanda at the meeting held to make food business operators familiarise with Food Safety Standards Rules 2011, laid down to regulate food businesses.

Food business operators whose turnover is less than Rs 12 lakhs need a registration, while firms having more income need a licence. As the new generation is more attracted to processed and packaged food products and more people are visiting food joints nowadays, business operators should be cautious and they should ensure all steps to ensure the safety of the public.

Enforcement Lacking

•  14,000 Food Business Operators (FBOs) registered in Telangana
•  16,000 Food Business Operators have licences.
•  Last date for applying for new registrations and licences : August 4.
•  FBOs should only apply online at www.fssai.gov.in