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Food importers not happy with FSSAI norms for rectifying labelling defects
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Tuesday, 10 January, 2012, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Manjushree Naik, Mumbai
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Food importers in the country especially smaller ones are up in arms against the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) latest instructions with regard to rectification of minor defects in labelling of imported food items. This, the authority wants to implement, for ensuring a smoother Imported Food Clearance Process.
Amit Lohani, convenor, Forum of Indian Food Importers (FIFI), and CEO, Max Foods, explains FnB News over the telephone, “The issue is grave and we cannot say it has been solved as yet though the FSSAI claims to have given some instructions to facilitate us.”
He adds, “The FSSAI has merely categorised labelling information as rectifiable and unrectifiable. Under this, MRP can be rectifiable while details such as batch number and country of origin will be unrectifiable.”
According to him, the move has affected those that are certified as smaller companies badly as they face problems in display of logo and such other things.
As for FSSAI, going by its website, under the new norms, the body has specified for 'Date of Manufacture' to be given in date, month and year format on sticker in addition to the 'Date of Manufacture' in Julian format already present in the labels along with the rectifiable labelling requirements viz. name and address of the importer and vegetarian, non-vegetarian logo.
As for batch number, the body specifies, “Consignments without prefix such as Lot number/ Lot/Code/Number Code/Batch Number/Batch or any other distinguishing prefix as per FSSR, 2011, shall be accepted subject to the condition that the authorised officer, FSSAI, will verify from the relevant documents from the manufacturer/exporter of the source country and satisfy himself that the numbers/alphabets combination of numbers/alphabets present in the labels are a valid batch number/lot number/code number of that particular consignment.”
While FSSAI has given three months time beginning December 15, 2011, for food importers to get the minor labelling defects rectified, food importers are not happy with the whole procedure.
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