Jul 21, 2018
FSSAI directs 10 e-commerce firms to delist non-licensed food operators
Box8, Faasos, FoodCloud, Foodmingo, Foodpanda, JusFood, LimeTray, Swiggy, UberEats and Zomato have been directed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI).
Food regulator FSSAI today directed Swiggy, Zomato, Foodpanda and 7 other such apps to stop using edibles supplied by non-licensed operators after consumer complaints of sub-standard food being served through e-commerce platforms.
"Following a series of complaints related to sub-standard food being supplied by food businesses listed on e-commerce food service platforms, FSSAI has directed 10 such platforms to debar the non-FSSAI licensed/registered food operators and ensure compliance of food safety rules and regulations," the regulator said in a statement.
Box8, Faasos, FoodCloud, Foodmingo, Foodpanda, JusFood, LimeTray, Swiggy, UberEats and Zomato have been directed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI).
In February this year, FSSAI had operationalised guidelines for e-Commerce Food Business Operators (FBOs).
As per the guidelines, the listed FBOs on e-commerce platforms need to display their licence numbers. It also mandated an agreement between the e-commerce platforms and FBOs to comply with the Food Safety and Standards ct, Rules and Regulations.
"However, FSSAI noted with serious concern that the compliance to these guidelines was patchy and there were complaints of restaurants/hotels without FSSAI license being listed and allowed to offer/sell food products on e-commerce food service platforms," the statement said.
There were also several complaints of sub-standard food being delivered to consumers through online market aggregators, it added.
"Food authority, in its direction to e-commerce food service platforms has asked them to initiate immediate action to delist the defaulting food businesses and submit an action taken report along with details of FBOs listed on their platforms by 31st July 2018," the regulator said.
FSSAI has also directed the e-commerce platforms to furnish their FSSAI license, agreement signed with FBOs and their internal checks to ensure that their FBOs hold valid FSSAI licences.Stating that consumers will welcome this new move that aims to increase food safety, the regulator said that the online food platforms need to work harder to ensure compliance as soon as possible with this new legal framework.
FSSAI asks food delivery platforms to de-list non-licensed eateries
NEW DELHI, JULY 20
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed leading food aggregators such as Zomato, Swiggy and UberEats to de-list all restaurants and eateries that do not have an FSSAI licence or registration.
It has also asked them to submit a report on the action taken to delist such eateries or food vendors listed on their platforms by July 31.
This move comes after the food safety regulator received a series of complaints about sub-standard food being supplied by restaurants and vendors listed on these delivery platforms.
10 delivery platforms
The regulator has ordered 10 such online food delivery firms to “debar” non-licensed or unregistered restaurants or eateries from their platforms immediately and to ensure compliance with the food safety rules and regulations. These firms are Zomato, Swiggy, and UberEats, Foodpanda, Faasos, FoodCloud, Foodmingo, JusFood, Box8 and LimeTray.
This is also significant as the food safety authority had operationalised guidelines for e-commerce food service platforms in February. Under these guidelines, it is mandatory for them to display the FSSAI licence number of the restaurants and eateries listed on their platform. In addition, they also need to have an agreement with these listed eateries regarding compliance with the FSS Act and Rules.
“It is time the online food platforms work harder to ensure compliance with this new legal framework,” FSSAI said in a statement on Friday.
FSSAI, however, noted with “serious concern” that the compliance to these guidelines was “patchy” and there were complaints of restaurants and hotels without FSSAI licence being listed and allowed to sell food products on e-commerce food service platforms. There were also several complaints of sub-standard food being delivered to consumers through online market aggregators, FSSAI release added.
Besides asking them to submit an action taken report, FSSAI also asked food aggregators to furnish details of the restaurants listed on their platforms, agreement signed with these eateries and mechanisms they have adopted to internally check if these restaurants have valid FSSAI licences.
FSSAI directs 10 e-commerce firms to delist non-licensed food operators
New Delhi, July 20 () Food regulator FSSAI today directed Swiggy, Zomato, Foodpanda and 7 other such apps to stop using edibles supplied by non-licensed operators after consumer complaints of sub-standard food being served through e-commerce platforms.
"Following a series of complaints related to sub-standard food being supplied by food businesses listed on e-commerce food service platforms, FSSAI has directed 10 such platforms to debar the non-FSSAI licensed/registered food operators and ensure compliance of food safety rules and regulations," the regulator said in a statement.
Box8, Faasos, FoodCloud, Foodmingo, Foodpanda, JusFood, LimeTray, Swiggy, UberEats and Zomato have been directed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI).
In February this year, FSSAI had operationalised guidelines for e-Commerce Food Business Operators (FBOs).
As per the guidelines, the listed FBOs on e-commerce platforms need to display their licence numbers. It also mandated an agreement between the e-commerce platforms and FBOs to comply with the Food Safety and Standards ct, Rules and Regulations.
"However, FSSAI noted with serious concern that the compliance to these guidelines was patchy and there were complaints of restaurants/hotels without FSSAI license being listed and allowed to offer/sell food products on e-commerce food service platforms," the statement said.
There were also several complaints of sub-standard food being delivered to consumers through online market aggregators, it added.
"Food authority, in its direction to e-commerce food service platforms has asked them to initiate immediate action to delist the defaulting food businesses and submit an action taken report along with details of FBOs listed on their platforms by 31st July 2018," the regulator said.
FSSAI has also directed the e-commerce platforms to furnish their FSSAI license, agreement signed with FBOs and their internal checks to ensure that their FBOs hold valid FSSAI licences.Stating that consumers will welcome this new move that aims to increase food safety, the regulator said that the online food platforms need to work harder to ensure compliance as soon as possible with this new legal framework.
FSSAI officials use test kit to check formalin presence in fish
FSSAI officials conducting raid at a fish market in Coimbatore on Friday.HANDOUT_E_MAIL
Fish markets under surveillance of authority for last three weeks
A six-member team from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) led by Designated Officer B. Vijayalalithambigai on Friday stepped up their ongoing drive against use of preservatives such as formalin in fish by raiding the old (wholesale) fish market as well as the new corporation fish market.
During the drive on Friday, the officials used for the first time a Rapid Fluorescent Formalin Kit also known as Spot Test Kit to ascertain the presence of formalin in the fish within a matter of few minutes.
Ms. Vijayalalithambigai told The Hindu that the fish markets have been under the surveillance of FSSAI for the last three weeks and shops selling fish in both the markets are being subjected to checks. The drive is supported by the Fisheries Department.
On Friday, because of the ban on fishing in Arabian sea, there was no arrival of consignments from Kerala and the various varieties of fish that arrived from Rameswaram from Bay of Bengal were subjected to spot test.
The officials using the kit, extracted 1 cm of flesh from the fish and smashed it well before mixing it with a 20 ml diluent and after one or two minutes of observation, the water above the flesh was tested. In the tests conducted on Friday, none of the samples/water went through any colour change (normally water turns yellow if formalin was present), thus indicating that there was no formalin presence in the fish.
Officials also said that fishermen or wholesale dealers inadvertently use formalin as a preservative for the longer shelf life of fish. But, they should realise that presence of formalin will result in irritable sensation while consuming the fish.
Formalin will also trigger allergic reactions, throat pain, stomach upset and above all formalin (normally used for preserving human bodies or parts) will turn out to be a carcinogen triggering cancer.
While vigil is being stepped up and fish traders are being sensitised, the FSSAI officials exhorted people to ensure that the fish after cleaning is repeatedlywashed before cooking.
Food safety officials test fish samples for formalin
SHILLONG: Meghalaya Food safety officials today began random testing of fish samples using the latest test kits for traces of carcinogenic formalin in fishes imported from other states, an official said.
"Today, food safety officials conducted 20 random tests on fishes imported from other states mainly from Andhra Pradesh and they were all tested negative for formalin," Food Safety deputy commissioner S N Sangma told .
He said 20 samples were collected from wholesalers and randomly tested by using a simple, rapid detection kit for any traces of possible uses of formalin as a preservative.
The test kits, called 'CIFTest' have been developed by Central Institute of Fisheries Technology and yesterday 14 of such kits have arrived in the state, according to Sangma.
Today the tests were conducted on fishes collected from wholesalers in the state capital and from tomorrow, fishes samples in other districts will also be tested using the CIFTest kits, he said.
The state is awaiting 13 more fish samples sent for detailed testing at the State Laboratory in Assam. 13 of the 26 samples were tested negative for formalin, Sangma said.
Meghalaya imports about 21,000 million tonne of fishes annually from Andhra Pradesh and Assam despite improvement in fish productions in the state in the last five years, Fisheries Minister Comingone Ymbon said.
He said the state produces only 12,330 mt in the FY 2016-17 while the total requirement is about 33,000 mt annually.
5,000 kg of formalin-laced fish seized
Lorry carrying contaminated fish was coming from TN
A Food Safety squad on Friday seized around 5,000 kg of fish preserved in formalin from a lorry at Puthuppanam, near Vadakara, in Kozhikode district. The lorry was on its way from Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu to Kozhikode.
The squad confirmed the presence of the preservative using a testing strip developed by the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT).
Stock buried
Soon after the preliminary test proved the presence of formalin, the seized stock was buried. Four packets of samples, each weighing 500 gm, will be further tested at the CIFT and the Kozhikode Regional Analytical Lab.
Vadakara Food Safety Officer P. Jithinraj said the squad got a tip-off on the stock from a Motor Vehicles Department squad in Vadakara. The lorry was parked at Puthuppanam following a mechanical snag. There were two persons, including the driver, in the vehicle at the time of the inspection, he said.
132 boxes
There were 132 boxes of adulterated fish in the lorry. The fish was loaded from Tamil Nadu for distribution among retailers in the district.
The driver and the cleaner of the lorry are Keralites. Legal action would be recommended against the Tamil Nadu-based suppliers on the basis of the lab report.
“We have been checking all the suspected stocks in the wake of recent reports on adulterated fish. In support of the drive, we have been given three testing kits containing the newly developed strips,” said Mr. Jithinraj.
Food Safety Officers Febina Mohammed Ashraf, Renjith P. Gopi and Vishnu S. Shaji were part of the team that impounded the lorry.
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