The FSSAI has issued a consulting paper to review the existing methodology for applying for licences under the Food Safety and Standards Act. Under the proposed method, FBOs (food business operators) will have to choose from a list of categories based on generic and specified standardised products.
The paper stated that it had been proposed to change the methodology of applying for licences under the Food Safety and Standards Act, Rules and Regulations made thereunder. Now an applicant will have to simply select the food category system up to two levels, which are simpler to understand and navigate.
“For example, Section 2.0 defines products category of fats and oils, and fat emulsions, which has two sub-categories, viz., 2.1, wherein fats and oils essentially free from water are listed, and 2.2, having fat emulsions mainly of type water-in-oil,” it added.
“Once the second level of food category (either 2.1 or 2.2) is selected, a menu of standardised products listing shall be displayed, from which the applicant can select the standardised product for which he desires a licence,” the paper stated.
Praveen Jargar, assistant director, regulatory compliance, FSSAI, stated, “The new standardised product lists are based on the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, wherein the standards for food products are detailed. The description used to denote all food products expressed under the said rule.”
He added, “For example, under 5.1.3 all standardised products for chocolate are covered, regardless of whether they are milk chocolate, milk covering chocolate, plain chocolate, plain covering chocolate, white chocolate, or blended chocolate.”
Further, the consulting paper said that mapping of the food category system with standardised food products as per the Food Safety and Standards has been attempted, and the licence shall display the name of the food product, along with the corresponding food category at the best level.
It added that the new system was based on a trust and self-regulation approach, wherein the FBO opts for and selects a standardised product, and his licence is approved for the same. However, the onus will be on the FBO to prove that the product manufactured by it falls within the licenced product domain, and any deviation from the specified provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Regulations shall be deemed that FBO is manufacturing without licence.
According to the country’s apex food regulator, the advantages of the proposed method are that it would bring uniformity in licencing implementation across the country. And the transition is likely to improve the ease of doing business for the FBOs in India, while the suggestion can be sent to FSSAI by January 6, 2020.
It is pertinent to mention here that currently an applicant selects the food category system, and than inputs the food products to be manufactured in a text box. The licencing authority after checks approves the application.
According to FSSAI, the problem with the existing system is that the text box approach leads to a data which is unique, non-amenable to any statistical and data analytics, and sometimes the FBOs find it difficult to understand and determine the category of the product.
