FSSAI extends deadline for licensing, registration to February 4, 2014

After getting the notification from the health ministry, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has further extended the licensing and registration deadline for food business operators (FBOs) to February 4, 2014. This is the third time the country's apex food regulator has granted an extension to FBOs. Even after a one-and-a-half-year time frame, which included a six-month extension, FSSAI was able to register 11 lakh out of the country's 5 crore FBOs and gave licence to only 3 lakh FBOs so far against the target of 50 lakh. Even though FSSAI was not in a mood to extend the deadline, the pressure from the health ministry compelled it to extend the deadline for registration and licensing for one more year. The first deadline to obtain licensing and registration was extended from August 4, 2012, to February 4, 2013, under the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and now the deadline has been extended to February 4, 2014.As per the new rules, anybody who was engaged in selling anything edible – roadside tea stalls, dhabas, fruit and vegetable hawkers, grocery shops, milk vendors, canteens, caterers, restaurants, hotels and food processors failing to get licence or register by February 4, 2013, were to be penalised by the food regulator.
A Madhavan, assistant director, enforcement-I, FSSAI, informed FnB News, “The deadline for registration and licensing for all the FBOs in the country has been extended by one year. I am sure that this year we will be able to complete our targets. The health ministry will help us in getting more manpower in order to complete the job on time.”

When quizzed whether a year would be enough for FBOs or the deadline would be further extended, he replied, “No, we will be coming up with technologies and infrastructure will be developed in order to complete the procedure on time.”

One of the objectives of enforcement is to ensure that registration/licensing provisions are fulfilled and food items are hygienic, wholesome and free of contaminants.

Tejinder Singh Renu, honorary secretary, Vidarbha Taxpayers Association (VTA), Nagpur, said, “FSSAI has shown haste in introducing the new regulation without adequate consultation with the states. With poor awareness, regulators are finding it difficult to convince the food business operators, particularly mid-sized and small ones, to get themselves registered under the new regime.”

He added, “Many bodies of food business operators have been opposing the regulations from the day it was implemented, because the new regulations would result in harassment of small vendors, who would also have to take registration in addition to all other licences required from state government agencies.”

“They should set regulations not only by taking scientists, advisors and people from the health ministry into confidence, but also traders and leaders of the bodies for food business operators,” said Renu.

Source:http://www.fnbnews.com/article/detnews.asp?articleid=33223&sectionid=1