Traders, restaurant owners and distributors exempt from annual returns

Traders, restaurant owners and distributors have been excluded from filing annual returns by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the country's apex food regulator. Their exclusion is a reprieve, because earlier, all licensed food business operators (FBOs) with an annual turnover of Rs 12 lakh and above were directed to submit their annual returns in the prescribed format (Form D-1) by May 31. Failure to do so would result in a fine of Rs 100 per day being slapped on them. Ajit Setiya, president, Poona Merchants' Chamber, said, “Since the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006, came into effect in August 2011, traders have been facing a host of problems. Apart from filing annual returns, they have had to provide information about each of the goods they deal in, the weight of each good, and its purchase and sales values. Only the owners of milk businesses have been asked to submit half-yearly returns in the format prescribed in Form D-2.”
Following agriculture minister Sharad Pawar's meeting with FSSAI officials in March 2013, the food regulators decided to make certain amendments to resolve the issue. According to Setiya, FSSAI's recent decision was a fall-out of the traders' struggle. “FSSAI conveyed the same to us on May 31, 2013,” said Shashikant Kekare, joint commisioner (food), FDA, Pune, adding that now only food manufacturers, packers, repackers, labellers and relabellers would have to file the annual returns. Food manufacturers are persons engaged in the business of manufacturing any article of food for sale and also include those who obtain such articles from other persons, pack and label it for sale or only label it for such purposes. Pune has over 9,000 licensed FBOs with an annual turnover of Rs 12 lakh and above. They include food manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, recyclers, processors, transporters, restaurants, hotels and catering business operators.

Source:http://www.fnbnews.com

Food business operators, traders excluded from filing returns

Source:http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

In a huge reprieve to traders, restaurant owners and distributors, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has decided to exclude them from filing annual returns.

The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) had earlier directed all the licenced food business operators with an annual turnover of Rs 12 lakh and above to submit their annual returns by May 31, failing which a fine of Rs 100 a day will be levied.

The FSSAI, the national food regulatory body, conveyed the decision to us on Friday, said Shashikant Kekare, joint commissioner (food) of FDA, Pune. "Hence, no fine will be imposed on traders, restaurateurs and distributors for not filing annual returns. Only food manufacturers, packers, re-packers, labellers and re-labellers will come under the purview of filing the annual returns and will face fine of Rs 100 per day for failing to do so," he said.
Ajit Setiya, president of Poona Merchants Chamber, said, "The traders have been facing a lot of problems ever since the new Food Safety and Standards Act came into force in August 2011. We have been following various issues pertaining to traders and filing annual return has been one of them. Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar had held a meeting with FSSAI officials on March 7 following which the food regulators decided to make certain amendments to resolve the issue. The present decision is a fall out of our long struggle."
"For the first time food business operators have been asked to submit annual returns of their transactions made till March-end since the new Food Safety and Standards Act came into force in August 2011," said Dilip Sangat, assistant commissioner (food), FDA, Pune.
There are over 9,000 licensed food business operators in the city with an annual turnover of Rs 12 lakh and above. They include food manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, recyclers, processors, transporters, restaurants, hotels and catering business operators.
As per the Food Safety and Standards Act and Regulations 2011 (licensing and registration), the business operators have to submit the returns in the particular format (form D-1). Only owners of milk businesses have been asked to submit the returns in half yearly format as given in form D-2.