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Tests to ensure checks on rejected export consignments in domestic mkts
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Tuesday, 20 December, 2016, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Pushkar Oak, Mumbai
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The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is streamlining policies and legislation for upholding safe food for all. Upon the completion of 10 years of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, it has set goals to strengthen the enforcement infrastructure.
To bolster enforcement and safe food, the apex regulator has initiated building infrastructure and capacity building initiatives which will ensure better testing and inspection facilities in the laboratories backed by efficient skilled manpower covered under FSSAI and state governments.
Major Areas Regular testing Annexure III of FSSAI’s licencing regulations covers conditions of licence which ask food business operators (FBOs) to ensure testing of relevant chemical and/or microbiological contaminants in the food products in accordance with these regulations as frequently as required on the basis of historical data and risk assessment on the basis of historical data and risk assessment to ensure production and delivery of safe food through own or National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories- (NABL) accredited/FSSAI-notified labs at least once in six months.
“Though several years have passed, there is no mechanism to check whether FBOs have undergone testing for the contaminants or not. Hence, most of them do not undertake regular testing. That is why the occurrence of heavy metals like lead and potassium bromate were recently in the limelight. These contaminants may cause severe health hazards. Some of them are carcinogenic,” said Rakesh Shah, consultant, food safety management system (FSMS) and product development, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
“A requirement is prescribed while granting FSSAI license that the water used should be tested as per IS 10500 for portability. The portability specification/standards includes physical, chemical, pesticide residue, toxic metal and microbiological tests, and the sample should be drawn by an NABL- or FSSAI-notified laboratory. This condition is followed while granting central licenses, but not while granting the licence issued by other authorities like state governments, municipal corporations and others,” he added.
“Many a time, the water samples are tested only for few basic parameters and not tested for contaminants like pesticide residues, heavy metals and others, as laboratories owned by the state governments, municipal corporations and others have neither the facilities and instruments nor the NABL accreditation,” said Shah.
Annexure II of the licencing regulations covers general requirements on hygiene and sanitary practices to be followed by FBOs applying for licenses. Highlighting the testing requirements, Shah stated, “The requirement says that if an in-house laboratory facility is not available, regular testing shall be undertaken through an accredited laboratory notified by FSSAI or NABL, but this requirement is not followed by the state governments/municipal corporations. In other words, the food sold in the Indian market, in most cases, may not be tested in any laboratory, as the licences are granted without any consent letter obtained from the notified laboratory.”
Rejected consignments While exporting, thorough testing under various export bodies like the Spices Board, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), the Export Inspection Council (EIC), the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) and others - a mandatory requirement - is usually carried out to ensure that the products are of a high quality and free from contaminants.
“Several lots are rejected by these authorities due to poor quality and contaminants, but the same lots are supplied in domestic market to Indian consumers without considering any health impacts on our public. It is worth adding that there are a few products under compulsory certifications marks under BIS/Agmark, like packaged drinking water and blended edible oils, where the requirement of contaminant testing is undertaken by the FBOs, as there are stringent checks,” said Shah.
Missing the line On one hand, FSSAI is streamlining laws to ensure better quality and safe food, and on the other, it is overlooking the necessary changes that needs to be inculcated in the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Shah stated, "The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, has made it mandatory for FBOs to file returns. However, while doing so, there is no requirement for contaminant testing, which proves that there is no direct or indirect control on FBOs for producing quality products confirming to regulatory standards for the consumer at large."
“Test results from the laboratories, if scrutinised by FSSAI frequently, especially among high-risk products in domestic markets, may create a big difference, as the sale of rejected produce by FBOs through export facilitation authorities can be curbed," said Nilesh Amritkar, managing director, Envirocare Labs.
Since food testing is gaining momentum in India, and a good number of laboratories have come up across the country, it is FSSAI’s turn to play its role in ensuring the food quality.
Initiatives by FSSAI In a bid to strengthen the lab infrastructure, a food testing laboratory (FTL) worth Rs 7.8 crore will come up in New Town, Kolkata, in 2017. It will keep a check on the quality of the mid-day meal served to students of government-run schools of east India.
The laboratory will be constructed on a plot of land covering an area of 1,162sq m. The land has been acquired from the West Bengal government-run WBHIDCO, and is expected to be completed within eight months, according to the Food and Nutrition Board, eastern region.
The FTL will test the standards of food samples and analyse chemically and micro-biologically prepared food and semi-processed food products.
Similar initiatives are being planned in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai.
Meanwhile, the court has asked the government of Jammu and Kashmir to proceed with the efforts of setting up two laboratories, one each in Jammu and Kashmir.
“FSSAI also needs to quickly undertake the policies over recall and should upgrade lab infrastructure in every state, so that effective compliance can be ensured on the part of FSSAI,” stated Amritkar.
Self-regulation Some food companies in India voluntarily hire laboratories to inspect the safety of their products, but it is not mandatory yet. Such audits are common in most developed countries, where self-regulation is the norm.
“We need to move towards self-regulation to ensure safe food for every Indian household. With its current strength and infrastructure, FSSAI alone would not be able to ensure surveillance at every corner. Surveillance is a big area. We are taking up surveillance in a few commodities. As we speak, surveillance on honey and milk is underway,” said Pawan Kumar Agarwal, chief executive officer, FSSAI.
Case on water The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, has defined manufacturing and packaging, clearly stating that water sold for drinking purposes should be sealed in containers.
"The BIS rules say that a water manufacturing unit must have sufficient space for a separate laboratory, raw water storage facility, packing area and loading and unloading points. Most of these local units are running in small rooms where a water storage unit, a reverse osmosis (RO) set-up and a chilling unit are located. Moreover, dirty containers are washed and refilled at the same place," stated a source from Madhya Pradesh Food and Drugs Administration (MPFDA).
If the water quality is ensured according to the requirements laid down by FSSAI and BIS, it will invite testing of the quality of water once it is packed. Several private NABL-accredited labs can test the products and furnish results, based on which FBOs may change their way of manufacturing.
The lab infrastructure played a vital role as an FBO, on unavailability of in-house lab, can get the necessary testing of the food products in an accredited lab or government lab under BIS.
Private infrastructure is slowly being developed. This can also help bolster the atmosphere of safe food and compliance.
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