To guarantee food safety and hygiene in food establishments, all food businesses must follow the General Hygiene Practices (GHPs) outlined in Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulation, 2011.
A. Responsibility of Food Business Operator/Manager –
Food businesses should follow the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s (GoI) most recent guidance and standard operating procedures (SOP) on Covid-19 prevention. Aside from GHPs, food handlers/workers should be made aware of Covid-19 symptoms to reduce the chance of infecting coworkers.
They should be trained on risk factors, appropriate food handling, social distancing, and other protective behaviors that are required in the presence of Covid-19 infections.
Hand hygiene (sanitizer dispenser) should be mandatory at the entrance of a food facility for staff, customers, and visitors.
Employee/food handlers must be monitored on a regular basis to prevent the spread of Covid-19 within the food industry chain.
Employees/food handlers should also monitor themselves and report any symptoms to their employers.
Employers must be aware of and responsive to employees’ concerns regarding compensation, leave pay, health, and other issues that may arise during the outbreak.
While in the production area, employees/food handlers must wear reusable face covers/masks and clean protective equipment such as full sleeves clothes/aprons, headgears, caps, and gloves at all times. The face cover must fit completely on the face, with no gaps around the lips, nose, or chin. Replace the face covers/masks every six hours or as soon as they become wet.
Reusable face covering must be carefully cleaned and sanitized. Dispose of disposable face masks or reusable face covers in a closed bin if they are broken or lose their shape. After removing the face cover, employees must avoid touching their face, eyes, nose, and other sensitive areas before washing their hands.
B. Cleaning and Sanitation –
Food premises must always be carefully kept, completely cleaned, and sanitized on a daily basis. The cleaning and sanitation criteria outlined in Schedule 4 must be rigorously adhered to. Various areas of the Food Establishment (such as the food preparation/production area, stores, packaging area, service area, waste disposal area, and so on), office space, and transport vehicles must be cleaned with soap and water, followed by disinfection (using quaternary ammonium compounds such as benzalkonium chloride (BKC), freshly prepared 0.5 percent hypochlorite solution (free chlorine), or any other disinfection agent). Equipment, containers, utensils, cutlery, and so on should be thoroughly cleaned with soap and water. It is preferable to wash and sanitize with hot water (above 60 degrees C). High TouchPoints need to be cleaned twice daily mopping with quaternary ammonium compounds-soaked linen/absorbable cloth or newly produced 0.5 percent hypochlorite solution (free chlorine) or any other disinfectant known to be effective against coronavirus. After each use and before usage in other places, all cleaning tools, cloth, mops, and reusable safety gear such as boots, gloves, and other items must be completely cleaned and disinfected.
C. Food Packaging –
Coronavirus has been found to live on a variety of surfaces. Food enterprises must guarantee that food handler involved in food packing practice good personal hygiene, maintain social distance, and follow GHPs as outlined in Schedule 4. All precautions must be taken to ensure that food packaging is kept clean and free of contamination sources.
D. Food Transportation or Distribution –
Regular cleaning and sanitization (and, if possible, disinfection) of delivery/transport trucks is required. Food deliveries/distribution should be the sole usage of such vehicles. Cleaning and sanitation records should always be kept in the vehicle.
Drivers, loaders, and other support employees with flu-like symptoms or Covid-19 symptoms are not permitted to handle, transport, or deliver food.
When a vehicle enters an area designated as a Covid-19 hotspot for deliveries/pickups, it must be completely cleaned and disinfected before being used.
FSSAI: Important Announcements for 2021
FSSAI has laid out various announcements lately to favour the food industry from different realms. Policy for Auto-Generation of License/Registration and Auto-Rejection of applications was passed to stipulate that if a license is not provided to the applicant within 60 days or he does not get any information regarding the same, the licensing body cannot prevent the applicant from starting his business.
FSSAI set the maximum limits of Trans Fatty Acids in Vegetable Oils under Food Product Standards and Food Additives through the 10th Amendment Regulations, 2020. According to the notification, “vegetable oils/fats products shall not include more than 5% by weight trans-fatty acid.” Provided, however, that the maximum limit of trans fatty acid shall not exceed 3% by weight on and after January 1, 2021, and shall not exceed 2% by weight on and after January 1, 2022.
The deadline for complying with the order of 27th January 2020 given under 16(5) of the Food Safety and Requirements Act, 2006 on the conformity of commercial feeds/feed materials intended for meat and milk-producing animals with BIS standards has been extended. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying lockdown orders/restrictions imposed by the Central/State Governments, representations have been received requesting an extension of time for compliance with the conditions of the aforementioned directive.
The FSSAI modified various standards for packaged drinking water, which went into effect on January 1, 2021. Calcium and magnesium levels in packaged drinking water should be between 20 and 75 mg/litre. Calcium and magnesium shall be present in bottled drinking water, according to the FSSAI 4th Amendment Regulations, 2019. The prescription limit has been set at 20-75 mg per litre for Calcium and 10-30 mg per litre for Magnesium.
FSSAI: Press Release on Food Safety Day (07-06-21)
Recently, on the 7th June 2020, The Food Safety Day was marked by The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The topic for this year is ‘Safe food today for a healthy tomorrow,’ which emphasizes that food safety is a shared duty of the government, producers, and consumers and that everyone has a role to play in ensuring that the food we consume is safe and healthy. With the recurrence of the Covid 19 pandemic, attention has been drawn to food, nutrition, health, immunity, and long-term sustainability. It is critical to ensure the availability of safe food in markets, as any contamination caused by food might result in additional healthcare costs due to food-borne diseases.
During the event, FSSAI also recognized an indigenous food testing device – Precision Iodine Value Analyzer (PIVA). It was created by the CSIR in collaboration with the Central Scientific Instruments Organization (CSIO) and can detect the Iodine Value (degree of unsaturation) measurement in edible oils and fats in a faster, better, and less expensive manner. This innovation is part of an ongoing effort to improve food testing capabilities by introducing rapid and advanced Food Testing Kits. FSSAI has approved 65 quick food testing kits/devices so far, and this is the newest addition to the list of approved kits/equipment.
By signing a Memorandum of Understanding, FSSAI has offered technical and financial help to States/UTs in the recent year for the building of necessary infrastructure, testing equipment, and mobilizing resources for special camps, inspections, and awareness programmes, among other things (MoU). As part of the MoU, the FSSAI has distributed around INR 65 crores to the states/UTs for the fiscal year 2020-21.
Under its flagship programme, Food Safety Training & Certification (FoSTaC), FSSAI launched an online training course on safe food and hygiene measures essential during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID training programme has so far trained over 2.6 lakh Food Safety Supervisors (FSS).
The year 2020 also saw the revival of the FSSAI’s online network across the country. FSSAI reintroduced various regulatory reforms to improve efficiency with ‘Ease of Doing Business,’ such as simplification in the processing of licensing and registration applications, return filing, license validity, inspections, and other compliances, to ensure that businesses could work diligently even in these difficult times.
Improvements to existing licensing and registration portals through migration to a new-age digital platform called Food Safety Compliance System (FOSCOS), as well as improved e-Governance for the delivery of various e-services, were among the notable developments.
Conclusion
The PFA focused solely on rules for preventing food adulteration and was chaotic legislation. Ever since FSSA came into force, it transformed the Food Industry by channelling the different laws and regulations into one. FSSA focuses on establishing FSSAI to establish science-based standards for food articles and regulating their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale, and import, to ensure the availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption and matters related to them. FSSA has played a pivotal role in improving the health standards in India. FSSA intends to regulate food hygiene and safety legislation in the country to promote the food business methodically and scientifically. As a result, while the food processing industry may perceive FSSA as a mixed grant, the practical application of this legislation, has made a significant change. Since is still in its early stages, it will take some time to fully implement and regulate.
There is yet a lot, which FSSAI needs to consider while moving ahead. FSSAI should also hold manufacturers accountable for ensuring food safety. The emphasis should be on assessing food manufacture, storage, and distribution at every stage of the supply chain. FSSAI and state food authorities should conduct surveys of food business activity within their jurisdiction to create a complete and trustworthy database of FBOs and to improve the enforcement and administration of the FSS Act. Moreover, Raising the compensation and fine limitations in cases of injury or death, as well as providing suitable infrastructure such as food testing laboratories.
Due to the disruption caused by Covid-19, FSSAI provided several regulations in favor of food company operators to overcome the Covid-19 effect so that they can start or resume their operation smoothly after reviewing the country’s economic and commercial conditions. The FSSAI issued the 2021 declaration with all stakeholders in mind; the FSSAI emphasized the necessity of self-regulation and the role of the industry. The 2021 announcement also demonstrates how the sector believes in the “Make in India” strategy, despite its “zero defect and zero impact” philosophy.
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