Health Ministry to appoint Food Commissioner
The Act consolidates eight laws governing the food sector and establishes the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSA) to regulate the sector.
By PTI |
New Delhi: With a view to set standards for food safety in the country, the Union Health Ministry will soon appoint a commissioner, who will frame rules to regulate the sector and ensure consumers get safe and healthy products.
"Under the Food Safety and Standards Act, we are going to appoint a Food Commissioner in four months time. We want Indian regulatory pattern to be a globally accepted pattern," Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said at the first International Food Regulatory Summit 2007 organised by CII.
The Act consolidates eight laws governing the food sector and establishes the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSA) to regulate the sector.
"It will be a professional body, which will be manned by professionals. There will be three to five permanent members, with 21 personnel.
We want the consumers to get safe and healthy products," he said, adding the Food Commissioner will frame regulations, which will include stringent punishments and penalties. "Water will be included in the definition of food in line with packaged drinking water.
It will be labelled as a food item soon. And when this will happen 60 per cent of my problems will be solved," he said. In order to strengthen laboratories that will test the products, Ramadoss said the ministry, with the support of World Bank, was investing Rs 400 crore for their modernisation. "We want to modernise the labs in the country and are training the personnel, including the drug inspector," he said, adding from August it will be mandatory for all manufacturers to put food label in their products and to mention nutrition value, including trans fat, and other ingredients too.
"Under the Food Safety and Standards Act, we are going to appoint a Food Commissioner in four months time. We want Indian regulatory pattern to be a globally accepted pattern," Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said at the first International Food Regulatory Summit 2007 organised by CII.
The Act consolidates eight laws governing the food sector and establishes the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSA) to regulate the sector.
"It will be a professional body, which will be manned by professionals. There will be three to five permanent members, with 21 personnel.
We want the consumers to get safe and healthy products," he said, adding the Food Commissioner will frame regulations, which will include stringent punishments and penalties. "Water will be included in the definition of food in line with packaged drinking water.
It will be labelled as a food item soon. And when this will happen 60 per cent of my problems will be solved," he said. In order to strengthen laboratories that will test the products, Ramadoss said the ministry, with the support of World Bank, was investing Rs 400 crore for their modernisation. "We want to modernise the labs in the country and are training the personnel, including the drug inspector," he said, adding from August it will be mandatory for all manufacturers to put food label in their products and to mention nutrition value, including trans fat, and other ingredients too.
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