Maharashtra govt to give life sentence to food adulterers

In a bid to strengthen the food safety surveillance system and assuring safe food to the consumers, FSSAI will undertake the audits of Food Business Operators through private auditing agencies/third party.

This move of third party food safety audits has been taken to reduce the burden on the regulatory inspections conducted by Central or State Licensing Authorities

In this regard FSSAI has enlisted 15 food safety auditing agencies which have been granted provisional recognition as food safety auditing agencies under draft Food Safety and Standards (Food Safety Auditing) Regulations, 2017.

These include Onecert International, Bureau Veritas (India), BSI Group India, Indocert, DNV GL Business Assurance, Intertek, IRCLASS Systems and Solutions, RIR Certification, TUV India, TUV Rheinland (India), MS Certification Services, SGS India Pvt Ltd, Lloyds Register Quality Assurance Limited, URS Certification Ltd and BIS.

These food auditing agencies will be used for audit of some food businesses as decided by FSSAI.

The classification will be based on factors like food type, intended customer use, nature of activity of the business, volume of the business & method of processing/any other factors prescribed by food authority.

FSAAI in its notification said that the experience and feedback obtained would be used while finalizing the regulations in this regard.

Presently, the provisionally recognized auditing agencies will only be engaged by FSSAI to audit some food businesses as decided by the FSSAI from time to time.

Once the Draft Food Safety and Standards (Food Safety Auditing) Regulations, 2017 after considering the comments from relevant stakeholders, is finally vetted and notified, the food authority shall from time to time specify the category of food businesses which shall be liable for mandatory audits, it added.

Also, to encourage self compliance, food businesses which are not subject to mandatory Food Safety auditing can also conform to auditing of their businesses on voluntary basis.

“Food businesses having undergone satisfactory audits will be subjected to less frequent audits by Central or State licensing authorities”, said FSSAI in its notification.

Those adulterating food products could face life imprisonment and penalty of up to Rs 10 lakh as per the amendments proposed by the regulator FSSAI in its 2006 food safety and standards law.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has recommended stringent punishment to curb food adulteration following the Supreme Court order.

The FSSAI has issued the draft amendments to the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, which was passed in 2006 but the regulations were notified only in 2011.

The regulator has proposed total 100 amendments to the Act and has sought public comments by July 2.

Among key amendments, FSSAI has proposed to include a new section to crack down on food adulteration.

"Any person...adds an adulterant to food so as to render it injurious for human consumption with an inherent potential to cause his death or is likely to cause grievous hurt, irrespective of the fact whether it causes actual injury or not, shall be punishable for a term which shall not be less than 7 years but which may extend to imprisonment for life and also fine which shall not be less than Rs 10 lakh," the FSSAI said.

Giving rationale behind the proposed amendment, the regulator said this has been done to provide stringent punishment in cases where an adulterant is added to food with an intent to render it unsafe for human consumption.

"It is also in the light of the directions of the Supreme Court," it added.

The new Consumer Protection Bill, which is pending in Parliament, also proposes similar quantum of stringent punishment for adulteration.

Among other amendments, FSSAI has proposed setting of state food safety authorities so that this law can be enforced in letter and spirit.

It has also proposed increase in the punishment for obstructing, impersonating, intimidating and threatening and assaulting a food safety officer.

The regulatory body has recommended imprisonment of not less than 6 months and up to two years, besides penalty of up to Rs 5 lakh. At present, the imprisonment is up to three months and fine is up to Rs 1 lakh.

The FSSAI has further proposed that a person convicted under this law will have to pay fees and other expenses incidental to the analysis of any food or food contact article in respect of which the conviction is obtained and any other reasonable expenses incurred by the prosecution.

This has been proposed in line with provision of Singapore's Sale of Food Act.

The other amendments include regulation of exported food products under the FSS Act. Presently, it covers only sale of food items in domestic market and also imported ones.

Home-grown FMCG major, Patanjali Ayurved is looking to double its share in the country's food processing market to 20 per cent in the current fiscal.

The yoga guru Ramdev-led firm, which has plans to invest Rs 5,000 crore on expansion of its various verticals, would be putting aside a substantial portion of funds towards opening of new units and ramping up capacity of the existing units.

Acharya Balkrishna, Managing Director, Patanjali Ayurved, said, "The food processing industry is worth around Rs 85,000 crore and Patanjali has a share of around 10 per cent. We would like to double our contribution to 20 per cent this fiscal. In the coming years, we would try to maximum Patanjali's contribution in the food processing industry."

According to Balkrishna, the food processing industry would not only provide good price to farmers but also help in providing quality food products in India.

He said, "Globally, around 90 per cent food is processed. In a country like China around 40 per cent food is processed but in India only 6 per cent of food and vegetables are processed."

He further said the processed food would also help in combating the food adulteration practice which has become quite rampant in the country.

"After we double our processing capacity, the total food processed would be increased to 7 per cent from the existing 6 per cent," he added.

The company is presently using grains as wheat, rice, millet and various other varieties along with pulses. Patanjali, which crossed Rs 10,000 crore sales in last fiscal, is now having global ambitions.

While speaking at an event organised by industry body FICCI, Balkrishna said the industry players are taking steps towards making Indian food industry an international brand.

"Patanjali Ayurved Ltd is committed to go global and fight adulteration in the food industry," he said.