Unsafe Food under the Food safety and standards Act

Here in this blog I am going to talk about two different topic of unsafe food and advisory for FSSAI Registration. But in deep inside both are comparatively similar. The topics are consumer complaints about the Contamination of food and the law against toys inside the food packets. The recent FSSAI advisory states that there should be no toys allowed to pack inside the edible foods packet. 95% of children as well as all the gender have been fond of free gifts inside chips and biscuits packets. Some of us still are fond of getting that.

The Tazos are some sort of round circular disks appeared as gifts with products of Frito-Lay and its subsidiaries around the world after 1990s. Some of the Pokémon and Simpson Tazos being well-kept in some toy museums. Here in the first half of the blog we are going to discuss about the massive marketing campaigns and the safety reasons formed in the basis of FSSAI advisory.

Free toys as a marketing tool

The fast moving goods and service based industries found a new way to attract customers. They launched the new ways of marketing via toys, stationary, accessories and gifts. They found that people get more attractions when they started to promote gift sets with the products. It is a tremendous hike to boost the sales. Product based company ensures some tie up with the cartoon production companies, toy-making companies etc. The companies takes the advantages of psychological impact of each customer.

People started to buy products and things. Getting more for less cost, this turned their mind set and they started purchasing more and more. Kids started to finish the chips packet and discover the surprised gifts. It enhance the sales and productions. If there is no gift cards in one packet they started to search for another by buying those two sets of packets. But they forget behind the unsafe stability of health and food.

Mandatory of FSSAI – Unsafe Food under the Food safety and standards Act, 2006

The FSSAI or food safety and standards act was introduced in 2006 with the intention to promote healthy standards in the food safety industry. It enable to create science based standards in the food industry and food safety authority. FSSAI has the power to control the manufacturer of food, storage, distribution, sale and import for human consumption. FSSAI assumes the status of the autonomous body works under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, contributing the health and safety standards for food industry. Later, FSSAI came out with a prohibitory advisory against the combination of unsafe foods and toys packing.

The section 3(1) zz (xi) of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 defines the non-quality food results injurious to health and it cause banning of that products. The label on the particular products highlight how much quality it is.

Safety Hazard – Plastic Toys usage within the food packet

The new FSSAI advisory discourages that the packaging of unsafe foods and toys in the same combo. The risk of contamination gets higher when the past 3 decades they combined both the foods and plastic toys. But more importantly kids and infants are taking these chocolates and gifts usually and it cause risk of choking and accidental ingestion. And likewise it became as a major safety hazard.

The FSSAI Advisory note state that the colour, shape and texture of the gift toys or anything should not resemble with the actual food products. If both the products are looks similar, it cause accidental swallowing and the consequent threat of choking. The thin and round shaped Tazos should not allowed within the food packets. If the retailer or the manufacturer want to sell, then can sell it separately. We have to care more when we asking the retailor for free gifts. Because it is quite common for retail shop to skip giving complimentary items while billing a bulk of goods.

 Have you ever bought food that was decayed, infected with worms?

If so, what are the necessary steps that you were carried to avoid such instants again? Time to time people have to deal with various food safety concerns. But only countable number of people were started to do something for such occurrences. Foreign countries are aware of the importance of food safety, but in India most of us are not caring that much. We Indians are aware of such issues but we are not giving that much values to the seriousness. Here in the second half I am going to share about such legal awareness. When the food products are contaminated they are reducing the nutritional value as well as resulting so many health hazards. That’s why the government and food authority leading to generate certain guidelines regarding FSSAI registration. Here we are going to discuss about consumer complaints against the contamination of food.

What is contaminated food?

The food item may contaminated as per the Section 2(A) of the Prevention of unsafe Food Adulteration Act, 1954 in the below cases,

• The food product which cause any damages to the user’s health (Unsafe Food)
• User’s health get damage when the additional cheaper substitute gets added.
• Quality of the product may reduce when the manufacturer use the raw materials of the already prepared food.

Normally, we can say in short that solid, liquid or gas form may remove or added from the already prepared product results injurious to user’s health and is considered as contaminated food under the FSSAI act.

Goals of Food safety

1. Protecting humans from food hazards
2. Prohibition of sub-standard business
3. Consumer interest protection
4. Preventing the fraudulent activities related to food

If any person sale, distribute or manufacturing any adulterated or contaminated food then he is liable for imprisonment and fine under the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act, 1954.

How to Prevent Adulteration in food?

The food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 is mainly for the people who are undergoing certain activities of food contamination.

1. The person who sell or manufacturing any material which is not in the food safety standards may liable to pay maximum fine of 5 lakh rupees.
2. The person who sells, distributes, stores, manufactures any substandard product or decayed product then he is liable to pay the penalty.
3. Person who sells, distributes, stores, manufactures any substandard product or decayed product against the act, then he get fine up to 3 lakh rupees.
4. Any person who falsely publishes the food quality or the consumer’s false etc. may get charged up to 10 lakh rupees as penalties.
5. Non-severe adulterant distributions also get charged up to 1 lakh rupees. If the adulterant distribution is heavy then the fine may rise up to 10 lakh rupees.
6. The person or any group who violates the Rules may force to pay the fine up to 2 lakh rupees.

Food Safety Connect

This plan has been established for consumers for awake that the protection of food safety. The consumers are submitting their complaints with the help of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and their expired products are sold with proper packaging. They must be providing valid photos for their proof.

In India, more than 60% of the previous deaths are happening only because of this food issues. Particularly in rural areas, they are not considering on that the mixture of foods with bad chemicals. It makes them to spoil their health and sometimes they become in a serious condition. Today, the government consider this issue and raise awareness for all peoples in India. So, consider the above issues and avoid all the food related problems.

Frequent Issues

• Existence of worms, dust particles, insects, fungus on food and beverages.
• Contamination of dairy products like ghee, curd and milk
• Uncleanness in spice and spice powders
• Sale of Expired food packages

Issues that a consumer can complain against

• Expired product’s selling
• Fungus, dust and insect affected foods.
• Any types of contaminations
• Non-sealed packages
• Improper and incomplete data on food label
• No address of marketer
• Lack of warnings or insufficient warnings

How to file the complaint against them?

If any individual, group or a company is taking part to food contamination then we can charge a complaint against them.

• We can charge against manufacturer/Restaurant owner/shopkeeper/Employer etc.
• Health authority/ FSSAI district commissioner
• Consumer Forum

Consumer forum can be reach at any level. District level, state level, or the national level. The complaints are registering in this way must have original jurisdiction at district base and further appellate at the state or federal level.

Consumer can make the interaction with the FSSAI via the online platform called Food safety Voice. Each of the customer have the rights to charge complaints against adulterated, unsafe food and poor labelling with food products.

• Compliant via Online
• Complaint can make via food related app, the app can download from Google play store
• Choose the right category from the app or website. The category is packaged food or premises.
• Identify the issue, describe the issue with relevant picture, and submit the complaint.

Conclusion

FSSAI Registration is the pillar for safe and quality food. Register your FSSAI and enjoy the legal advisory without hassle. We Corpstore in Coimbatore enable your FSSAI License and registration within couple of days.