Krishi Jagran’s group interacted with Mrs. Rita Teaotia, the Chairperson of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Mrs. Teaotia assumed the office of Chairperson FSSAI on November 28, 2018. Between 2003 and 2007, she labored as Joint Secretary within the ministry of health and circle of relatives welfare, Government of India, focusing on food safety, drug management administration, and countrywide ailment manipulation programs. She also labored as Commerce Secretary within the Ministry of Commerce and Industry between July 2015 and July 2018, earlier than becoming a member of the apex meals regulator. In her 35 years career, she has worked drastically in policymaking and practice in numerous sectors, such as electricity, health, rural improvement, IT (statistics generation), and telecommunications.
Q.1 What is the position of FSSAI for agriculture and farming (inclusive of organic) in the context of FSS (Organic Foods) Regulations, 2017? Ans. Section 22 of the Food Safety Standards Act, 2006 (FSS Act, 2006) has the availability that no person shall manufacture, distribute, sell or import natural meals, which the Central Government may additionally notify on this behalf. Accordingly, FSSAI has notified Food Safety and Standards (Organic Food) Regulations, 2017 in India’s Gazette. In the spirit of ‘One Nation, One Food regulation,’ FSSAI released these Regulations in conjunction with a unified emblem for Organic Foods ‘Jaivik Bharat’ as a symbol of authenticity and acceptance as true.
Q.2 How are FBOs required to comply with these rules?
Ans. Food Business Operators shall follow all the provisions of those Regulations. The organic ingredients to comply with all of the relevant provisions of any one of the certification structures, i.E. National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) or the Participatory Guarantee System for India (PGS-India). A route dated twenty-ninth June 2018, changed into issued wherein it was directed that each one FBOs production/processing or dealing with Organic Food shall reap a license under FSS Act 2006 or get the natural meals endorsed in their present license thru Food Licensing and Registration System (FLRS) within three months from the graduation of those Regulations. However, via some other path dated 24th January 2019 using FSSAIs organic logo (Jaivik Bharat) turned into made implementable w.E.F 01st April 2019.
Q.3 Any relaxations for small organic manufacturers?
Ans. The Organic meals that are advertised via direct sales by way of the small unique producer or manufacturer enterprise, as determined with the Food Authority’s aid from time to time, to the give up patron shall be exempted from the provisions of NPOP or PGS-India. However, the provision of direct sales of organic meals to the quit patron via the small unique manufacturer/manufacturer enterprise having an annual turnover of organic produce of no longer more than Rs 12 lakh is permitted. They can be allowed to promote natural food with no certification i.E. NPOP/PGS-India.
It is not constantly viable for small manufacturers who’ve low quantities of natural meals to go to the market. In such instances, the aggregator/middleman may collect natural food from small manufacturers and sell it to the give-up consumer immediately. Such aggregator/middleman shall have a turnover of natural produce no longer exceeding Rs 50 lakhs/annum. They may be allowed to sell products without any certification i.E. NPOP/PGS-India. Such ingredients shall no longer undergo Jaivik Bharat Logo.
However, organic meal retail corporations must observe the certification norm. To build self-assurance in small producers, these rules may be considered as ‘permitting guidelines’ and no longer be considered for prosecution in particular for small authentic producers and producer agencies for the duration of the preliminary segment of its implementation until April 2020″.
Ans. Yes, the FSSAI’s Organic Logo on meals will characterize that such meals are organic because the FSSAI’s Organic Logo on the foods may be used handiest after certification and different FSS Regulations are being met. As the domestic Regulations are being carried out, the companies will need to observe the regulations earlier than labeling their merchandise as natural.
