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New Delhi: India is in the final stages of implementing its Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006. Under the FSSA 2006, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (Fssai) was established with the mandate to establish science-based standards for articles of food, regulate the manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import of food and to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.
The Authority has announced second meeting of its Central Advisory Committee (CAC) on October 22, 2010. ?The second meeting of the Central Advisory Committee is scheduled to be held on October 22, 2010 at 10.30 am under the chairmanship of VN Gaur, Chief Executive Officer,? Fssai said in its invitation.
?The venue and agenda of the meeting will be intimated shortly. However, in this regard you are requested to suggest some relevant subjects or matter to be included in the agenda of the meeting,? it added.
The invitation has been sent to over 50 food & beverage delegates including Dr PI Suvrathan, chairman and SB Dongre, director of the Fssai. The first CAC meeting was held on January 19, 2010. It discussed FSSA draft regulations.
The Fssai?s CAC ensures cooperation between food authority and the enforcement agencies and advise on proposal for the authority?s work programme, prioritisation of work, identifying potential risks, knowledge pooling, such other functions as may be specified by regulations. CAC meet regularly thrice a year or upon invitation.
Based on the comments received from the stakeholders and input from the review committee, the FSSA draft regulations were modified again and reviewed by the Fssai in April 2010 for approval. The Fssai has sent the final draft Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Regulations, 2010, to India?s central government for final approval. When the final approval is granted, a notification will be published in India?s Official Gazette.
Dr PI Suvrathan, in an article that appeared in the May 2010 issue of the Fssai newsletter, has predicted that the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 is expected to be rolled out all over the country by September 2010.
He also stated that with the finalisation of the rules and regulations for transition to the new integrated food law, ?India thus joins a group of advanced nations in adopting an integrated food law in line with international best practices, adopting a scientific approach to development of food standards.?
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