Integrated food law in next Parliament session: Sahai

CHANDIGARH: An integrated food law, which seeks to converge existing laws governing food products, will be passed in the next session of Parliament, Union Minister of State for Food Processing Subodh Kant Sahai said on Tuesday.

"At the moment there are about 16 laws in place and on many occasions we have seen there is some confusion due to overlapping of these laws... we have already introduced a Bill in the Parliament regarding the new law, which should be in place by the next session," he told reporters here.

He said under the new Law, a scientific panel will be set up to study requirements of the sector.

Sahai also said that a mega Food Park would be set up over 100 acres in Punjab, shortly.

Giving details of the project, ASSOCHAM president Anil K Agarwal said the industry chamber had already signed an MoU with a Consortium of Italian Food Processors, which will bring in technology for setting up the $100 million agro- processing park in Punjab.

"The agro-park will process food based on European Union standards. The Chamber, the Punjab Government and the Central Food Processing Ministry is preparing a joint study report about the park, which will be submitted to the Italian Consortium.

"It will take about six to eight weeks time after which we can move forward," Agarwal said, adding the Park's location was yet to be decided.