FDA tells food biz operators to file returns by May-end

PUNE: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has directed food manufacturers, repackers and relabellers to submit their annual returns by May 31, failing which they will be fined Rs 100 per day.

Last year, FDA officials had recovered fine of over Rs 18.77 lakh from food business operators in Pune district for not filing their annual returns for 2013-14 within the stipulated time. "Food manufacturers, repackers and relabellers have to submit annual returns of their transactions made between April 2014 and March 2015 by May 31, failing which a fine of Rs 100 will be imposed on them," said Shashikant Kekare, joint commissioner (food), FDA, Pune. 

Food business operators with annual turnover of Rs 12 lakh and above have been directed to seek licences and those below the Rs 12 lakh mark are required to seek registration papers from the FDA under the new Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. 

There are over 9,000 licensed food business operators in the city with an annual turnover of Rs 12 lakh and above. They include food manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers and recyclers among others. "Of these, around 25% are manufacturers, repackers and relabellers who have to submit the annual returns every year," said Dilip Sangat, assistant commissioner (food), FDA, Pune 

As per the Food Safety and Standards Act and Regulations, 2011 (licensing and registration), food manufacturers, repackers and relabellers have to submit the returns in a particular format — Form 'D-1'. "Only owners of milk businesses have been asked to submit the returns in a half-yearly format as given in Form 'D-2'," Sangat said. 

"Awareness about filing the annual returns is very low among food business operators. The government has also not made substantial efforts to sensitise them on the issue," said office bearers of the Poona Merchant Chambers. 

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has exempted traders, restaurateurs and distributors from filing annual returns. The forms are available at the FDA office in the city and can also be downloaded from www.fssai.gov.in

Implementation of food safety Act put on the back burner

Minister for Health and Family WelfareU.T. Khader addressing presspersons in Mysuruon Sunday

Govt. reluctant to deploy medical officers as designated officers

Has the food safety regulation taken a back seat in the State? It seems so. The Department of Health and Family Welfare is averse to redeploying the government medical officers as the designated officers (DOs) for enforcing the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA) citing shortage of doctors.

As many as 21 senior medical officers, who were deployed as designated officers in the State have been repatriated to their respective districts. Some of them were holding additional responsibilities assigned to them by the Health Department, which was given the task of implementing FSSA. To a query related to this, Minister for Health U.T. Khader on Sunday said: “The Health Department works suffered when the medical officers were deputed to enforce FSSA. Health is our priority and not food safety enforcement. We had sent a request to the Centre to delink the Department of Health from enforcement of FSSA, requested that the department should be relieved of the responsibility of enforcing FSSA, but the Centre directed us to continue with the task of enforcing the Act.” According to the Minister, officers of the rank of the Assistant Commissioner or the Tahsildar may be given additional charge of designated officer to implement FSSA.Mr. Khader added that the government is mulling over roping in suitable candidates with relevant qualification for implementing FSSA without making any changes to the C and R Rules. “It’s tough to redeploy the government medical officers to the post of designated officer.”

As per the norms, the post of the designated officer for implementing the FSSA, should be held by a sub-divisional officer or a medical officer who has put in more than 10 years in the department, or a person with post-graduation in subjects such as chemistry, microbiology, biochemistry with the rank of a sub-divisional officer.

The food safety wings in several districts were under the control of the food safety officers since January this year. The absence of a ‘team leader’ (DOs) may come in the way of spreading the importance of food safety since the DOs had been empowered to monitor and sometimes lead the inspections/raids to check if food items were within the parameters of FSSA or adulterated.

Khader says they plan to appoint people of the sub-divisional officer’s rank as DOs

Food safety at stake

A separate authority for food safety was established by the government, comprising a Food Safety Commissioner and Food Safety Officers, to check adulteration. But, the response to grievances in this connection is disappointing. I had lodged a complaint on January 19 with the Food Safety Officer of North Circle in Kozhikode that the jaggery I had purchased from a hypermarket in the city was suspected to be adulterated. My request to take its samples for testing and to freeze the sale of the product did not yield any action from the officer. I contacted the officer in person with the same request and there was no action for two-and-a-half months. Then I took up the issue with the Food Safety Commissioner in Thiruvananthapuram. Reply is awaited.

C. Chandrasekharan, Kozikode

குட்கா பொருட்கள் 400 கிலோ பறிமுதல்

சென்னை, மே 4:

சைதாப் பேட்டை மார் கெட் பகு தி யில் உள்ள கடை களில் தடை செய் யப் பட்ட பான் பராக், குட்கா போன்ற பொருட் கள் விற பனை செய் யப் ப டு வ தா க உணவு பா து காப்பு அதி கா ரி களுக்கு தக வல் கிடைத் தது.

இதை ய டுத்து உணவு பாது காப்பு உயர் அதி காரி லட் சுமி நாரா ய ணன் உத் த ர வின் பேரில் உணவு பாது காப்பு அலு வ லர் கள் சதா சி வம், மணி மா றன், ராஜா தலை மை யி லான குழு வி னர் சைதாப் பேட்டை மார் கெட் பகு தி யில் அதி ரடி சோதனை நடத் தி னர். இதில் 23 கடை களில் நடந்த சோத னை யில் 400 கிலோ எடை கொண்ட போதை பொருட் களை பறி மு தல் செய் த னர்.

இதில் பான் பராக், குட்கா, ஹன்ஸ் புகை யிலை, மிராஜ் புகை யிலை, கைனி புகை யிலை, மாவா மசாலா ஆகி யவை கைப் பற் றப் பட்டது. இதன் மதிப்பு சுமார் ₹1 லட் சம் இருக் கும் என அதி கா ரி கள் தெரி வித் த னர். கைப் பற் றப் பட்ட அனைத்து பொருட் களும் நாளை (இன்று) கொடுங் கை யூர் குப்பை கிடங் கு களில் அழிக் கப் ப டும் என்று தெரி வித் த னர். இதே போல் சென் னை யில் எங் கெல் லாம் போதை பொருட் கள் விற் கப் ப டு கி றதோ அதை சோதனை நடத்தி கைப் பற் று வோம் என வும் தெரி வித் த னர்.