New FSSA stds will be complete only by Dec 2014: TFMA's vice-president

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) recently yielded to the Madurai-based Tamil Nadu Foodgrains Merchants' Association's (TFMA) demand to revise the standards laid down under the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act, 1954 and invite nominations for the setting up of various committees for the fixation of new standards. However, P Subash Chandra Bose, vice-president, Tamil Nadu Foodgrains Merchants' Association (TNFMA), said, “The course of action of fixation of new standards will be completed only by December 2014. Therefore, there will be every chance that the implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006 will be postponed by a year till December 2014.”

“Moreover, the 16th Lok Sabha elections are also slated to take place across the country in 2014, and there may be a chance that a new government could come to power. Then there will be a chance of reviewing the present policies of foreign direct investment (FDI) and the FSSA, 2006. So the food safety officers (FSOs) are unhappy with the present developments. As far as the government of Tamil Nadu is concerned, it has now understood the problems and hurdles in the new Act and may make representations for changes in it for the better,” he added. Incidentally, the FSOs and designated officers in the southern state are also depressed because the department does not have the upper hand over any issues pertaining to the FSSA, 2006.