The BuyT Desk
You become what you eat! Maybe you are conscious about choosing the most healthy and ensure best cooking practices at home, but what if the ingredients are adulterated? Even after making the right choices, you and your family fall ill. Previously, there were a segregated lot of rules and regulations to govern the fitness of the sold food. Prevention of Food Adulteration Act and Rules, 1954 was the main act to maintain the sanctity of the sold food. In 2006, a welcome step towards maintaining the quality and safety of food was the enactment of the Food Safety and Standards Act. This comprehensive Act overtook other food acts.
The Revolutionary Food Act
Under this Act, an autonomous Authority – the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) – was set up to supervise and regulate rules and regulations related to food safety and standards. Different Scientific Panels, as part of FSSAI, bring the industry and the science experts together to deliberate about the food standards. Another important development under the Act was the responsibility of the Authority to notify laboratories, accredited by the National Accreditation for Testing and Calibration Laboratories, for food analysis.
The Act has established the Adjudication Authority to fast track the cases of offences by food businesses. Since its inception, the Authority has been on its toes to fulfil the mandate for which it was established. It continually updates the food safety rules and regulations to keep malpractices by food businesses at bay and ensures that the public enjoys safe and healthy food. For instance, cooking oil can have Total Polar Compounds (TPC) at a prescribed limit of 25% so that reusing the oil does not affect the health of consumers deleteriously.
Mandatory Licensing and Registration for Food Businesses
The Act mandates that the food businesses obtain licenses or register with the Central or State Food Authority. A food business operator can obtain a license through an online portal with ease. If you see carefully, every packaged food item bears the FSSAI logo with the business’s license number. You should feel confident to see the license number because it indicates that the food business is adhering to food safety and quality rules and regulations.
An Inspecting Officer visits the premises of the food business and ensures that they are adhering to the standards prior to issuance of a license. For small food business operators who have an annual turnover limited to Rs.12 lakhs, only a registration certificate from the Central or State Authority is required. These food businesses include hawkers, makeshift food stalls, moving food vendors, and cottage food industries.
Home-Based Chefs also need Registration
With the fast pace of life, professionals are usually pressed for time. With no time for cooking, they resort to ordering food at home. Because of the entrepreneurship boom in India and increased focus on vocational studies, now there are a number of home-based chefs in the Indian cities. Earlier, consumers may have ordered with home-based chefs for the reasons of exclusivity and unique cuisines. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic consumers were afraid of ordering from restaurants and found food made from home-based chefs safer.
Today, every next advertisement on your social media account may be of a home-based chef or home baker. It is the responsibility of FSSAI to ensure that people are consuming hygienically prepared food. Thus, the Authority now requires home-based chefs and home bakers to obtain a registration certificate before selling food. In the case of violation of this rule, a penalty of Rs.5 lakhs or imprisonment can be levied. The Authority has been tracing home kitchens without registration through their social media accounts or consumer complaints of poor quality food. You can register your home-based food business with the Authority online via foscos.fssai.gov.in. You have to fill “Form A” provided in Schedule 2 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 for registration.
Be a smart consumer! Relish your favourite dishes but after ensuring that the particular home kitchen is registered with FSSAI. A registration certificate is not only a law but also an assurance that the safety and hygienic practices of food preparation are being followed. You can search the name of the food business on the FSSAI website to check if it is registered. In addition, you may lodge a complaint/grievance with the Authority.
