New Delhi, Dec 16 Amid growing concerns over food safety and consumer health, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Tuesday directed all States and Union Territories to launch a special nationwide enforcement drive against adulteration and misbranding of milk and milk products, including paneer and khoya.
As per sources in FSSAI, the directive has been issued under Section 16(5) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, empowering the food regulator to take urgent measures in the interest of public health.
"There have been multiple instances of adulteration and misbranding of dairy products reported across the country in recent times," officials at FSSAI said.
"Such products are often manufactured by illegal and unlicensed entities, posing a serious risk to consumers," they added.
The regulator reiterated that any misrepresentation of adulterated or analogue products as genuine dairy items constitutes a clear violation of the Food Safety and Standards Act and associated regulations.
Under the special enforcement drive, State Food Safety Departments and FSSAI Regional Offices have been instructed to carry out intensive inspections of premises involved in the production, storage and sale of milk and milk products.
"This includes scrutiny of both licensed/registered as well as unlicensed food business operators (FBOs)," the regulator said.
Food Safety Officers have also been directed to draw enforcement samples of milk, paneer and khoya as per prescribed procedures and verify the licensing and registration status of businesses.
The officials further informed that the advisory mandates authorities to "undertake traceability exercises in cases where samples are found non-conforming or suspicious patterns are detected". This is aimed at identifying the source of adulteration and uncovering illegal manufacturing units and supply chains.
"Strict enforcement actions -- including seizure of unsafe food articles, suspension or cancellation of licences, closure of illegal units, recall and destruction of adulterated products -- are to be initiated wherever violations are detected," the officials said.
Moreover, to ensure accountability and monitoring, FSSAI has asked States and UTs to promptly record all data on the Food Safety Compliance System (FoSCoS) to enable effective consolidation and analysis at the headquarters level.
The regulator has also called for strengthening inter-State coordination and development of local intelligence to curb the inter-State movement of adulterated and misbranded milk products.
The personal attention of Commissioners of Food Safety and Regional Directors has also been sought to ensure immediate compliance and strict implementation of the directions.
--IANS
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