Kochi: A decision has been taken to make Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) license mandatory for sale of food items. The FSSAI will soon take legal action against individuals and units who engage in the manufacture and sale of food items without the mandatory food licence. The step has been considered for the safety and wellbeing of the common man. Though as per rules, only food items with a valid licence are eligible to be sold, it is not being followed. Hence the authority has decided to take steps against illegal sale of food items.
Most of the restaurants, hotels and bakery units in the state function with FSSAI licence. But those who distribute the ingredients to prepare the food items do not hold a licence. Meat products, fish and vegetables are being bought from local traders. Most of the traders in markets operate without licence. Most of the food items prepared in hotels and restaurants and being distributed do not have a legal licence. According to rules, those who sell food items and those who engage in their distribution need a licence to undertake this.
Kerala is the state which strictly adheres to the authority laws. Hotels have been instructed to purchase the necessary ingredients only from licenced merchants and they need to keep the bills along with them for verification. The authority will be conducting searches to check if the rules are followed by all.
The joint commissioner of Food Safety Authority K Anilkumar stated that more than 90 percent of hotels in the state function legally. The food items purchased from traders must also be done only from a licence holder and this must be made mandatory. The government must enforce this strictly, he said.
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