Food Safety
and Standard Act, 2006 | Background of FSSAI
Background and Milestones
of FSS Act, FSSAI
Introduction:
The Food Safety and Standard Act mainly covers specified food laws and regulations. Here in brief we can say food laws are Act and
regulations include the process to enforce the law.
Food Laws: “A legislative act prohibiting the
adulteration or misbranding of any article of food” OR
“The
food law covers a wide range of provisions with a direct or indirect effect on
the safety of food or feed, including provisions on materials and articles in
contact with food, animal fed and other agricultural inputs at the level of
primary production”.
Regulations: “A written instrument containing
rules having the force of law”. OR
“A
Process of the promulgation, monitoring, and enforcement of rules established by
primary and or delegated legislation”.
Objectives:
The objectives of different food laws and
regulations are as follows:
1.
These food laws and regulations are
intended to ensure that foods do not cause harm, illness, or injury
2.
To ensure that, any article of food are not
adulterated or misbranded, and are wholesome and fit for human consumption.
3.
The food law aims at ensuring a high level
of protection of human life and health, taking into accounts the protection of
animal health and welfare, plant health, and the environment.
4.
Food laws establish the rights of the consumers to have safe food and to have accurate and honest information.
5.
The food law aims to harmonies existing
national requirements in order to ensure the free movement of food and feed in
the nation.
6. Food law recognizes the commitment to its international obligations and will be
developed and adapted taking international standards into consideration.
Background of the FSSA, 2006 and FSSAI:
The Food Safety and Standard Act is notified in the
Gazette of India on 24th August 2006. The act came into effect with
certain milestones of implementation. It mainly involves the systematic
modification and notification of 101 sections in the FSS Act 2006.
During the amendment of the act, FSSAI was established
on 05 Sept. 2008 as an apex food authority in India. With concern to the
portfolio of the Authority, the appointment of CEO (Chief Executive Officer),
central advisory committee, scientific panel, and scientific committee.
With concern to further improve the Rules are
notified on 05, May 2011 and Regulations are notified on 05 August 2011. All
upliftment is monitored by a chronology of events which is described in a systematic arrangement.
Chronology of Events:
It
mainly includes sequential amendment of the FSS Act, FSSAI, Rules and
Regulations with major steps or milestones.
1. In the year 1998 Prime Minister’s Council on Trade and
Industry appointed a group of people on Food and Agro Industries. They
Recommended one common comprehensive legislation on food with a Food Regulatory
Authority concerning both domestic and export markets.
2. 2004: Joint Parliamentary Committee on Pesticide Residues in its report in 2004 focused on the need for all present food laws to collaborate with one single Authority.
3. 2005: Standing
Committee of Parliament on Agriculture in its 12th Report submitted
in April 2005 desired that the Food Laws should be presented.
4. Group of Ministers
constituted by the Government of India, held extensive deliberations and approved
the proposed integrated food laws with certain modifications.
5. 2005: The
integrated food law named as the Food Safety and Standard Bill, 2005.
6. This bill passed by both the upper and lower house of Parliament in July 2006 and received the President
Signatory on 23rd
August 2006.
7. The act named as ‘The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006’ (34 of
2006).
8. Act Notified in the
Gazette of India on 24th August 2006.
9. The work allocation by
Cabinet Secretariat notified vide S.O 1568(E) dated 17
Sept. 2007 to allocate work relating to Food Safety and Standards
(FSS) Act, 2006, to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
10. The Ministry of
Health and Family Welfare issued the notification on 15
October 2007 invoking section 4 to 10, 87-88, 91 and 101 relating to
establishment of Food Authority, selection of Chairpersons and member of the
Authority, the function of Chief Executive Officer, power of Central government to
make rules and powers to remove difficulties.
11. Section 90 relating to transfer of existing employees of central government agencies governing various food-related Act, /Orders to Food Authority, invoked vide gazette notification dated 28 August 2008.
12. Food Safety and Standards
Authority of India (FSSAI) established under Section 4 of the Act vide
notification dated 5th September 2008.
13. Chief Executive
Officer of Food Authority was appointed on 30
Sept. 2008.
14. Various sections
(16-18,81-86,92 and 93) were invoked on 18 Nov. 2008
and other sections (11-15) relating to the Central Advisory Committee,
Scientific Committee, Scientific Panel, etc. were invoked vide notification
dated 09.03.2008.
15. 29 June 2009 Section
99 notified.
16. 31 July 2009 Section
36-47 notified.
17. 09 July 2010 all
remaining sections have been notified except section 22.
18. 05 May 2011 Rules
notified
19. 05 August 2011 Regulation
notified (Tentative)
Food Safety and Standard Regulations: Milestones
The Food Safety and
Standard Regulations are notified on 05 August 2011. Henceforth many
regulations are notified with the different article of food, processes, packaging
and labelling, health supplements, general provision of the act, fortification
of food and others are enlisted below.
ü Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulation, 2011
ü Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food
Additives) Regulation, 2011
ü Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction of
Sales) Regulation, 2011
ü Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling)
Regulation, 2011
ü Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and
Residues) Regulation, 2011
ü Food Safety and Standards (Laboratory and Sampling
Analysis) Regulation, 2011
ü Food Safety
and Standards (Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals, Food for Special Dietary
Use, Food for Special Medical Purpose, Functional Food and Novel Food)
Regulations, 2016
ü Food Safety
and Standards (Food Recall Procedure) Regulation, 2017
ü Food Safety
and Standards (Import) Regulation, 2017
ü Food Safety
and Standards (Approval for Non-Specific Food and Food Ingredients) Regulation,
2017
ü Food Safety
and Standards (Organic Food) Regulation, 2017
ü Food Safety
and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulation, 2018
ü Food Safety
and Standards (Fortification of Food) Regulation, 2018
ü Food Safety
and Standards (Food Safety Auditing) Regulation, 2018
ü Food Safety
and Standards (Recognition and Notification of Laboratories) Regulation, 2018
ü Food Safety
and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulation, 2018
ü Food Safety
and Standards (Packaging) Regulation, 2018
ü Food Safety
and Standards (Recovery and Distribution of Surplus food) Regulation, 2019
For Further Clarification, I Enclosed YouTube Video for the same purpose.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDul7uf7pcbM_kWCEaA9WvA
