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Understanding Food Safety Standards: FSSAI, PFA, APEDA, BIS, HACCP & More

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Food Safety and Agricultural Standards in India | FSSAI, PFA, APEDA, and More
Food Safety Standards FSSAI PFA APEDA BIS HACCP Certification

FSSAI: Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

  1. Establishment:
    • FSSAI was established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
    • The Act consolidates various previous acts and orders related to food safety across different ministries and departments.
  2. Purpose:
    • To lay down science-based standards for food articles.
  3. Regulation Areas:
    • Manufacture of food products.
    • Storage of food items.
    • Distribution and sale of food.
    • Import of food products.
  4. Objective:
    • To ensure the availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.

PFA: Prevention of Food Adulteration Act

  1. Purpose:
    • To prevent the adulteration of food.
  2. Title:
    • Officially called the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954.
  3. Coverage:
    • Applicable across the entire country of India.
  4. Commencement:
    • Came into force on a date notified by the Central Government in the Official Gazette.

APEDA: Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority

  1. Establishment:
    • Created by the Government of India under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act (1985).
  2. Act Details:
    • The Act (2 of 1986) came into effect on 13th February 1986, as notified in the Gazette of India (Extraordinary: Part-II, Section 3(ii)).
  3. Purpose:
    • Promotes and develops the export of agricultural and processed food products.
  4. Replaced Entity:
    • APEDA replaced the Processed Food Export Promotion Council (PFEPC).

BIS: The Bureau of Indian Standards

  • Role:
    • BIS is the National Standards Body of India.
  • Ministry:
    • Operates under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India.
  • Establishment:
    • Created under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986.
  • Effective Date:
    • The Act came into effect on 23rd December 1986.

EIC: Export Inspection Council

  • Role:
    • EIC is India's official export certification body.
  • Purpose:
    • Ensures the quality and safety of products exported from India.
  • Executive Head:
    • The Director of Inspection & Quality Control oversees daily operations.

MPEDA: The Marine Products Export Development Authority

  1. Establishment:
    • Set up under an act of Parliament in 1972.
  2. Origin:
    • Replaced the Marine Products Export Promotion Council, which was established in September 1961.
  3. Formation Date:
    • MPEDA officially came into existence on 24th August 1972.

AGMARK: Agricultural Product Grading and Marking

  1. Definition:
    • AGMARK is a certification mark for agricultural products in India, ensuring they meet approved quality standards.
  2. Approval Authority:
    • Standards are approved by the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection, under the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation, and Farmers Welfare.
  3. Ministry:
    • Operates under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India.
  4. Legal Basis:
    • Enforced by the Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act of 1937, amended in 1986.
  5. Head Office:
    • Located in Faridabad, Haryana.

JECFA: Joint FAO/WHO Committee on Food Additives

  1. Definition:
    • JECFA is an international scientific expert committee.
  2. Administration:
    • Jointly administered by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
  3. Established:
    • Active since 1956.
  4. Purpose:
    • Evaluates the safety of:
      • Food additives.
      • Contaminants.
      • Naturally occurring toxicants.
      • Residues of veterinary drugs in food.

JEMRA: The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meeting on Microbiological Risk Assessment

  1. Definition:
    • JEMRA is an international scientific expert body focusing on microbiological risk assessment.
  2. Administration:
    • Jointly managed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
  3. Purpose:
    • Assesses microbiological risks in food to ensure safety and quality.
  4. Key Focus:
    • Evaluates:
      • Safety and quality of water used in food production and processing.
      • Microbiological contaminants affecting food safety.
  5. Example:
    • A Core Expert Meeting on water safety in food production was held from 14–18 May 2018.

JMPR: Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues

  1. Definition:
    • JMPR is an international body that reviews pesticide residues in food.
  2. Administration:
    • Jointly managed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
  3. Purpose:
    • Reviews pesticide residues, estimates maximum residue levels (MRLs), and evaluates toxicological data.
  4. Focus Areas:
    • Estimation of acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) for humans.
    • Assessment of pesticide safety in food.
  5. History:
    • JMPR has been meeting regularly since 1963.

WTO: World Trade Organisation

  1. Definition:
    • The WTO is the global organization governing trade rules between nations.
  2. Core Function:
    • Oversees WTO agreements, negotiated by most trading nations and ratified by their parliaments.
  3. Established:
    • 1 January 1995.
  4. Location:
    • Geneva, Switzerland.

TBT: Technical Barriers to Trade

  1. Definition:
    • TBTs are non-tariff barriers used by countries to regulate markets, protect consumers, or preserve natural resources.
  2. Objective:
    • These measures aim to achieve various goals, but they can also be seen as protectionist, discriminating against imports to safeguard domestic industries.

SPS: Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures

  1. Definition:
    • Sanitary (for protecting human and animal health) and Phytosanitary (for protecting plant health) measures are applied to ensure food safety and agricultural health.
  2. Agreement:
    • The SPS Agreement is an international treaty under the World Trade Organization (WTO).
  3. History:
    • It was negotiated during the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and came into effect with the establishment of the WTO in 1995.

RUCO: Repurpose Used Cooking Oil

  1. Regulation:
    • From 1st July, 2018, all Food Business Operators (FBOs) are mandated to monitor oil quality during frying.
  2. Purpose:
    • Repurpose Used Cooking Oil (RUCO) is an initiative to create an ecosystem for the collection and conversion of Used Cooking Oil (UCO) into biodiesel.

HACCP: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point

  1. Definition:
    • A systematic preventive approach to food safety, addressing biological, chemical, and physical hazards in production processes.
  2. Goal:
    • To identify risks that could make the finished product unsafe and implement measures to reduce these risks to a safe level.

GMP: Good Manufacturing Practice

  1. Definition:
    • A system to ensure products are consistently produced and controlled according to quality standards.
  2. Purpose:
    • Designed to minimize risks in pharmaceutical production that cannot be eliminated by testing the final product.

GLP: Good Laboratory Practice

  1. Definition:
    • A quality system of management controls for research laboratories to ensure uniformity, consistency, reliability, reproducibility, quality, and integrity of chemical and non-clinical safety tests (including pharmaceuticals).
  2. History:
    • Introduced in New Zealand and Denmark in 1972, later in the US in 1978.
    • The introduction was in response to the Industrial BioTest Labs scandal.
    • The OECD established the Principles of GLP in 1992, helping spread GLP globally.

GHP: Good Hygienic Practice

  1. Definition:
    • A set of practices performed to preserve health and prevent the spread of diseases.
  2. WHO Definition:
    • According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases."
  3. Personal Hygiene:
    • Refers to maintaining the cleanliness of the body to promote health and prevent infections.

GAP: Good Agricultural Practice

  1. Definition:
    • Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) refers to specific methods used in agriculture to produce safe and wholesome food for consumers or further processing.
  2. Standards:

    • While definitions of GAP vary, there are several broadly accepted schemes that producers can follow to ensure their agricultural practices meet safety and quality standards.

       

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