Several pharmacy associations urged the Food Safety
and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to include Bachelors of
Pharmacy (B Pharm) as the qualification for food safety officers (FSO)
under the Food Safety and Standard Regulations (FSSR), 2011.
These include the Maharashtra Pharmacy Welfare Association (MPWA); the Indian Pharmacy Graduates Association (IPGA), the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) and the Drugs Inspectors Welfare Association (DIWA).
The latter is a government-recognised association of drugs inspectors in Maharashtra. These bodies advocated that this would help deliver safe and unadulterated food products to the citizens of the country.
This demand has been pending since 2011, and must be addressed on an urgent basis, considering that the eligibility criteria of having a degree in pharmacy was nullified with the enactment of FSSR, 2011.
The now-scrapped Maharashtra Prevention of Food Adulteration (MPFA) Act stipulated that to be eligible for such posts as FSO and assistant commissioner (food), one had to be a degree-holder in pharmacy.
In a letter to FSSAI, R P Choudhary, president, DIWA, said, “A number of serving food inspectors hold B Pharm degrees. We felt it was essential to include a pharmacy degree as one of the qualifications.”
“A graduate degree in pharmacy was one of the qualifications for food inspectors, as stipulated by Rule 8 of MPFA Rules, 1955. The said legislation has now been replaced by FSSR, 2011,” he added.
As per Rule 2.1.3 of FSSR, 2011, food inspectors should hold degrees in either food technology, dairy technology, bio-technology, oil technology, agricultural science, veterinary science, bio-chemistry, micro-biology or a masters’ degree in chemistry.
They would have to obtain these from recognised universities, or possess equivalent qualifications recognised by the Centre, or be graduates in medicine and have received training in food safety, sampling and surveillance approved by the Centre or the state.
Pharmacy education covers such subjects as human anatomy, physiology and genetics, jurisprudence, analytical chemistry, instrumentation, good manufacturing practices (GMP) and process control, pharmacology (the effect of drugs on the body) and toxicology.
Hence, professionals holding B Pharm degrees are believed to be well-versed with both the technological aspects and the forensic part of the enforcement of the food and drug rules.
“In view of the aforesaid, it is essential to have B Pharm holders in the enforcement of the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006 and FSSR, so the government would have trained professionals for the effective enforcement of the Act,” Choudhary said.
“Therefore, we requested FSSAI to note our objection and include graduate in pharmacy as one of the qualification for food safety officers under the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011,” he added.
These include the Maharashtra Pharmacy Welfare Association (MPWA); the Indian Pharmacy Graduates Association (IPGA), the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) and the Drugs Inspectors Welfare Association (DIWA).
The latter is a government-recognised association of drugs inspectors in Maharashtra. These bodies advocated that this would help deliver safe and unadulterated food products to the citizens of the country.
This demand has been pending since 2011, and must be addressed on an urgent basis, considering that the eligibility criteria of having a degree in pharmacy was nullified with the enactment of FSSR, 2011.
The now-scrapped Maharashtra Prevention of Food Adulteration (MPFA) Act stipulated that to be eligible for such posts as FSO and assistant commissioner (food), one had to be a degree-holder in pharmacy.
In a letter to FSSAI, R P Choudhary, president, DIWA, said, “A number of serving food inspectors hold B Pharm degrees. We felt it was essential to include a pharmacy degree as one of the qualifications.”
“A graduate degree in pharmacy was one of the qualifications for food inspectors, as stipulated by Rule 8 of MPFA Rules, 1955. The said legislation has now been replaced by FSSR, 2011,” he added.
As per Rule 2.1.3 of FSSR, 2011, food inspectors should hold degrees in either food technology, dairy technology, bio-technology, oil technology, agricultural science, veterinary science, bio-chemistry, micro-biology or a masters’ degree in chemistry.
They would have to obtain these from recognised universities, or possess equivalent qualifications recognised by the Centre, or be graduates in medicine and have received training in food safety, sampling and surveillance approved by the Centre or the state.
Pharmacy education covers such subjects as human anatomy, physiology and genetics, jurisprudence, analytical chemistry, instrumentation, good manufacturing practices (GMP) and process control, pharmacology (the effect of drugs on the body) and toxicology.
Hence, professionals holding B Pharm degrees are believed to be well-versed with both the technological aspects and the forensic part of the enforcement of the food and drug rules.
“In view of the aforesaid, it is essential to have B Pharm holders in the enforcement of the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006 and FSSR, so the government would have trained professionals for the effective enforcement of the Act,” Choudhary said.
“Therefore, we requested FSSAI to note our objection and include graduate in pharmacy as one of the qualification for food safety officers under the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011,” he added.
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