Indore: FSSAI provides relief to FBOs on minor labeling defects

Indore: Giving a relief to small shopkeepers and small-scale manufacturers, the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed the food safety officers of the states to avoid minute labeling defects on food packets and also not to take legal action against them.

The FSSAI issued an advisory to the commissioners of Food Safety Departments recently, to serve notices to the food business operators and warn the shopkeepers for the mistake instead of taking legal actions. The orders will also provide relief to hundreds of shopkeepers in the city also as they have been facing actions and even paying fines for defects of insignificant in nature and can be rectified easily.

“The food regulatory authority has issued the advisory with an aim to avoid unnecessary harassment to food business operators and also to avoid waste of resources. The defects of insignificant nature include those which do not endanger food safety,” senior food safety officer Manish Swami said.

He further said that more than 100 cases in Indore are pending which are of minor labeling defects. “Earlier, action against such defects was initiated only to get the rules of food packaging and labeling implemented properly. Now, as the awareness among food business operators have been increased, the need of taking legal action on such defects is negligible,” he said.

Meanwhile, Swami also said about sampling of food products especially milk products in rainy season and said that they have been collecting about 40 samples a month to keep a check on shopkeepers and to ensure food safety of patients.