Jun 7, 2018
Soon, check an eatery’s FDA rating before booking table
MUMBAI: On the occasion of World Food Safety Day on Thursday, the state Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will flag off a pilot rating system for restaurants for the first time in the country. Restaurants will be rated on a scale of zero to five stars on the basis of hygiene and responsibility to customer safety.
The rating system, based on the ‘Scores on the Doors’ scheme followed in some western countries, will first be carried out in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur. “The food hygiene rating given will reflect our inspection findings. The purpose of this scheme is to allow consumers to make informed choices about the places where they eat out. The aim is to reduce the incidence of food-borne illnesses and associated costs to the economy,” said FDA commissioner Pallavi Darade.
To get the hygiene stars, restaurants will first have to complete an online self-assessment. “Our inspectors will then go and inspect the restaurants on the parameters such as cleanliness, design and facilities, availability of water and soap, etc,” said Darade. Based on the FDA’s assessment, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India will give the hygiene rating to the restaurant. “The food hygiene rating will be based on what we find when we inspect the premises. We use a scoring system to rate how well a food business is run. The best is five stars and the worst is no stars,” Darade added.
The second rating, the “responsible place to eat” tag, can be earned if the place not only ensures that its staff is clean and undergoes periodic health checks, but even ensures that surplus food is not thrown out but donated. “We have some 20 parameters on which restaurants will be marked,” said a senior FDA official.
The eateries will also be graded on the advice they give out to customers: Be it awareness about balanced diet or the pitfalls of adding extra sugar and salt to food.
Establishments should ensure that all beverages are made in potable water and cooking methods are hygienic.
“We will also check if restaurants are transparent in allowing customers to visit their kitchens,” said Darade. Kitchens that are open and allow consumers to check on safety angles such as food handlers and cooks wearing protective gear, will be noted.” Having an effective consumer redressal mechanism with WhatsApp numbers or emails will be a plus point too, said officials.
The FDA has already carried out a small drive of grading 30 restaurants—15 in Mumbai, 10 in Pune and five in Nagpur— and their officials will be given the star ratings at a public function to be held in Bandra on Thursday.
Hygiene rating for restaurants soon
Restaurants will need to display scores at the entrance; optional requirement for now
Mumbai: In a first, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will rate restaurants on the basis of hygiene and parameters like water management, kitchen upkeep, food waste management, complaint handling etc. The restaurants will be required to display the scores on the doors so customers can easily see the information.
“This plan has been adopted in many countries and has been successful. Initially, it will not be a mandatory but voluntary for food joint owners. The success of this initiative will be achieved when visitors ensure they eat at restaurants with good ratings and are mindful of their eating habits,” said Pawan Kumar Agarwal, chief executive of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), who announced the initiative on Wednesday.
While it is an FSSAI initiative, the FDA will implement it. In Maharashtra, pilots will be carried out in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur, and 30 restaurants will be given the score certificates in the first round.
In another initiative, the FDA will declare clean street food hubs. In the initial stages of the plan, the FDA will work with other associations in four zones: Juhu Chowpatty and Girgaum Chowpatty in Mumbai, Saras Baug in Pune and Phutara Talaav in Nagpur.
“We have already conducted activities for training and capacity-building of the street food vendors but problems like absence of clean water supply are much bigger . Hence, based on an approved framework, we will conduct a gap analysis and solve the problems,” said Dr. Pallavi Darade, FDA Commissioner. The FSSAI chief also emphasised the importance of food fortification.
On food fortification, Mr. Agarwal said, “Food fortification costs little. Hence, many companies and organisations are ready to adopt it including the Central Government, that ensures use of fortified food products in schemes such as the mid-day meal. Consumers too can now know if a product is fortified with the help of the ‘+F’ logo on the packaging.”
World Food Safety Day: FSSAI to rate quick service food joints on six parameters
In a pilot project in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will launch a hygiene plus rating system for quick service restaurants, food chains and joints to assess them on parameters like how they dispose off excess food, hygiene practices amongst staffers, safe water handling and how they promote consumer education about healthy eating.
Until now, 30 restaurants — 15 in Mumbai, 10 in Pune and five in Nagpur — have been rated on a scale of five based on six parameters by food inspectors.
“The concept will be expanded across India and we make such certification mandatory in future,” said Pawan Agrawal, CEO of FSSAI. Hygiene rating will also influence customer decision in choosing a place to eat, he said.
“We will also judge a restaurant on how transparent they keep their kitchen for customer visits, whether they have open kitchen or easy access,” Agrawal added.The six parameters will asses whether staff is medically examined for infectious diseases every six months, what the restaurant does with surplus food, whether it is providing hygiene and sanitation to customers, if the restaurant advices on nutritional status of food items, complaint management, waste water management and transparency in food preparation in kitchens. A major focus on concept of open kitchens will be laid to ensure food preparation is hygienic.
“The idea is to make consumers aware. Restaurants will start complying if a customer is affected by the hygiene standards of a food joint,” said Pallavi Darade, Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner. FDA has selected four food hubs in Maharashtra — in Juhu Chowpatty, Giragaum Chowpatty, Saras baug in Pune and Futala lake in Nagpur — to train street hawkers on hygiene practices, sanitation and healthy cooking habits.
“The framework has been prepared by central government. We will have to coordinate with other agencies and licensing authorities to ensure cleanliness is maintained. Declaring these hubs as clean street food hubs can take months,” Darade said.
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