New Delhi, June 26 (IANS). The Central Government has made important changes in the rules, giving great relief to the businesses related to food business. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday issued a notification amending the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Business) Regulations, 2011.
The purpose of this change is to promote ease of doing business and reduce unnecessary regulatory burden on food businesses.
Under the new rules, now non-manufacturing food businessmen will be exempted from maintaining certain records and following rules related to stock rotation. However, for food manufacturing businessmen, these rules will remain applicable as before, so that there is no compromise in food safety and quality.
Earlier, it was mandatory for all licensed food businessmen to manage stock and maintain records on First In First Out (FIFO) or First Expiry First Out (FEFO) basis. But after the revised rules, this system will be applicable only to food manufacturing units, because there it is considered necessary to maintain food safety, quality and ensure traceability of the product.
Retailers and other non-manufacturing food businesses will benefit from this amendment. The government believes that this will significantly reduce the compliance burden, especially on small and medium scale businesses (MSMEs). Also, where monitoring is necessary for food safety, controls will remain as strong as before.
The Health Ministry said the decision is part of a broader reform process to promote a risk-based and outcome-focused regulatory regime in the food sector. In the last few years, the government has simplified many rules for food traders. These include a system of permanent licensing and registration, revising business turnover limits, removing the requirement of double compliance for street food vendors and implementing a risk-based inspection system.
According to the ministry, the new amendments have been prepared after extensive discussions with states, union territories and all stakeholders associated with the food business. These changes are also in line with the recommendations of NITI Aayog’s High Level Committee on Non-Financial Regulatory Reforms, which emphasized on maintaining effective regulatory oversight while reducing the burden of unnecessary regulations.
The Health Ministry reiterated that the government will continue to work to further strengthen India’s food safety system through science-based regulations, stakeholder suggestions and simplified compliance mechanisms.
–IANS
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