FSSAI LICENSING & REGISTRATION
Even as many imported food items continue to perish at several ports across the country and companies are opposing the Food Safety and Standards Authority’s (FSSAI) directives blocking consignments of packaged foods over labeling issues, the government maintains that it cannot compromise on standards since it concerns health of people.
“FSSAI’s move is in line with the law. It is the regulator’s job to ensure that companies selling food items in India – whether they are Indian or foreign – must comply with the law,” a health ministry official said. The notification issued by the regulator earlier this month clearly specifies the need for printed information on packaged food products, he pointed out. “How can any company import goods without proper information?”
FSSAI— the regulatory agency under the health ministry that supervises import of food items to ensure quality — has blocked several consignments of packaged food, citing tougher labelling requirements arising from a new law, the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006, that came into force in 2011.